Rue Mellark: The story of her Hunger Games
by louisemaeg
Summary: Years after the rebellion, Katniss and Peeta have 2 children. But what happens when The Hunger Games comes back? This is the story of Rue Primrose Mellark as she volunteers for The 86th Annual Hunger Games. She'll try to come back but what happens if someone close to her is in the games as well?
1. Prolugue

**Hi! This is my first fanfic and I hope you like it! :D**

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_Katniss_

It's been a few years since the rebellion has been successful. Peeta and I dated until we turned 22 when he asked me to be his wife. You think I would say yes, wouldn't I? Of course I did! And now here we are five years later with two beautiful children that I never thought I would have. I hold my beautiful baby girl that has just been born almost a year ago. "She's beautiful, isn't she?" I say to Peeta. He smiles then turns back to our other child. I look at the little girl that I'm holding and smile. Rue. That's her name. Rue Primrose Mellark. I look at the two year old boy with Peeta. Finnick. Finnick Cinna Mellark. I sigh at the old memories of them. Who risked their lives. Just so they could keep me alive.

Peeta turned on the TV and it shows a young woman standing on the presidents' stand. "Where's Paylor?" I asked, worried. Peeta shrugs and looks back on the screen. I can tell he's worried as well, "Good afternoon, citizens of Panem." The woman says in her thick Capitol accent. She smirks evily then continues, "You may be wondering where our precious president Paylor is. Well, let's just say she's in a better place now."

I gasp, almost forgetting I was holding Rue in my arms. She smirks once more, "So, now I will be taking over Panem!" I can hear Capitol citizens cry for joy. _Just hope she doesn't bring back The Hunger Games_, I thought. Just when I thought it was over she continues, "One more announcement! Next week, we will be holding a reaping. And you know what that means..." _NO!_, I scream in my head. Peeta looks over at me. His eyes are filled with sorrow and sadness, "Katniss-" "I gotta go." I mumbled. I put Rue into her crib and storm into my room.

I cry into my pillow thinking about what would happen if my children were reaped into The Hunger Games. What if they were reaped _together_? I shuddered at the thought of losing one of them.

And I have to mentor them! Not just Rue and Finnick but also other innocent boys and girls that depend on their mentors to survive. They depend on us to help them. A few minutes have passed. 30 minutes. An hour. 2 hours. I'm still on the bed crying my eyes out. Peeta knocks on the door but I don't notice it because my thoughts just fill up everything from reality. "Katniss? Please let me in." He asks. "It's open." I say with my head still on the pillow. He comes in and sits on the bed, stroking my hair.

"Where are they?" I ask with no emotion. "They're asleep." He says and sighs, "Katniss, don't worry about it. They're not eligible yet." I look up at him, "And do we start worrying when they are?" I ask in a stern tone, "Peeta, it's not just Rue or Finnick. It's about the Capitol killing innocent children once more. I thought that we were over that, Peeta." I said to him, raising my tone.

He sighs, "There's nothing we can do Katniss. What's done is done." I'm furious at him. Does he care on what will happen to our children? Does he care about other kids getting killed? I've never seen Peeta this hopeless! I storm out of the room and go to the living room where the kids are sleeping. I'm just hoping that they won't get reaped in the future. I don't want them and other kids to feel what we victors have felt in the games. What pain we have experienced.

The pain. The torture. The Hunger Games.

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**Hope you don't mind the names of their children. :D I will probably post the next chapter soon! Please review! Thank you. :D**


	2. Chapter 1

**Here's the first chapter! To clarify:**

**It is 12 years later. Rue is 13 and Finnick is 14. More characters are coming! :) That's it. Enjoy the chapter! :D**

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_Rue_

I woke up to the sound of Mockingjays singing. I smiled but then it started fading away because I realize what day it is.

Reaping Day.

Most people would probably sleep in but I would actually like to spend my time wisely instead of sleeping around all day. I bet dad and Finn are in the bakery right now. I get out of bed and check the master bedroom. I see mom sleeping peacefully in bed. I sigh then go back to my room to change. I change into a simple blue t-shirt, ripped jeans, hunting jacket and hunting boots. Yes, I'm going hunting.

The woods aren't really banned anymore. Although it isn't, people are still afraid of what "creatures" live there. I roll my eyes at the thought. It's honestly not that bad. I write a small note telling mom that I'm hanging out with Dave and I go straight to the woods.

Okay, my mom doesn't know I go hunting. Not even my dad or brother. I never really know why I never told them. I know mom went hunting before. But I don't know. I just don't want them to know. I love my family but I don't really trust them with secrets, especially Finn.

I take my bow and arrow from the log and patiently wait for Dave to come. Dave is my best friend. He was and always has been. He's better than his sister, Felicia. I have no idea why she hates me! I tried being friendly to her but she just came up being really stuck up. Their dad, Gale, is also really nice and, coincidentally, he's my mom's best friend. Before they lived in District 12, they originally were from District 2.

There was an accident that happened to Dave and Felicia's mom that's why they moved back to District 12. Dave never really explained to me what happened with his mom but I guessed that something bad happened.

A voice interupted my thoughts. A voice that I'd never like to hear. And it belongs to one person I know and love. Felicia Hawthorne.

"Hey Rue! Whatcha' doing here?" She screams. I roll my eyes and turn around, "What do you want Felicia?" "I'm just looking for my brother. Where is he?" She asks in a sarcastic way. "He's not here." I snapped "Now, just run along to your home and wait for the reaping to come, would you?" She rolls her eyes, "Like I would." I shot a fake smile at her, "You want me to shoot you, don't you?"

"OOOH! I'm SOOO scared!" She says sarcastically. _Can she just shut up already? _I thought to myself. "Alright. Your choice." I see her eyes widening as I load my bow. I shoot the arrow at the tree next to her and she screams. I laugh hysterically and she runs away in fright. I see Dave laughing when he goes to me.

"Great job, Rue!" He exclaims. I smile proudly of what I did, "Thank you, Dave. I do think I have outdone myself this time." Dave laughed again. I pulled out the arrow from the tree I had hit, "Let's start hunting, shall we?" Dave nods and we go further deep in the woods.

* * *

Dave and I just finished and now we're heading home. Actually, he's heading home but I'm heading to the bakery. I pushed the door of the bakery when...

"Welcome to the Mellark baker- Oh it's just you." Finn says as I walk in. I roll my eyes, "Yes, it's me. Missed me too much, big bro?" I said. I hang up my hunting jacket and head into the kitchen, "Hey dad!" I exclaim. He turns around startled but relieved to see it's me, "Hey, Rue. Where have you been?" He asks.

"I was with Dave. We wanted to spend time together before the reaping." I replied. He nodded, "That's great. Can you help with the register, honey? Thanks." _Great_, I thought, _The register AGAIN_. "Sure, dad." I say with my brightest smile. As I walk out of the kitchen, I roll my eyes at how stupid people are. Not my dad. He's not stupid. Not even mom but people always fall for my bubbly personality. I know I got it from dad but his skill is words. Mine is personality. Difference? I think yes!

Anyways, I walk to the counter with an annoyed look on my face. Finn is laughing at me, "Is there a problem?" I ask. "It's nothing but I know how much you hate being a cashier." Then he continues laughing and goes into the kitchen. I bet no people aren't even going to come here today. They'd be sleeping in.

An hour passed. No one, not even one single person, came in the bakery. Suddenly, I hear the bell indicating a customer. Turns out to be mom. "Hey mom." I said. She smiles, "Hey, Rue. Bored?" "You bet." I reply. She laughs, "Don't worry about it. I'll meet your dad in the kitchen. I'll be back in a few." I nod and she goes in the kitchen. Great, I'm alone AGAIN. Ugh. This day is so frustrating.

Mom comes out a few minutes later, "Come on, Rue. Let's go home and get changed." I nod and we start walking home.

I change into a simple yellow dress and white shoes. My mom puts my hair into a side braid. I don't usually use this hairstyle but I do it sometimes. This is moms' signature braid. I always see her wear it. Mom is wearing a green shirt and jeans with hear mockingjay pin on her shirt. She takes a look at me in the mirror and smiles, "You look beautiful, Rue."

I look at myself; dark, brown hair with clear, blue eyes. I was always different than the other girls. Finn is the different from the guys as well; yellowish, blonde hair with stormy grey eyes. Different. A word to describe us.

And I never considered myself beautiful. I always thought I was plain. No guys like me. Like they ever will. I look at my mom. I prefer the style she's wearing. More like me. I sigh as we sat on the bed, "Why can't we just have a peaceful life, mom?" She looks at me, "That's what I asked myself when the games came back." I sighed, "Can't we just go to the Square now?"

"We need to wait for your father and brother, honey." She replied. We sat there in silence as dad and Finn were preparing. Once they were finished, we all went there together as a family. But sadly, mom and dad have to go to the stage while Finn and I have to stay in our sections.

Reaping Day. Oh how much everyone hates that day.

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**Hope you like this first chapter in this story. I made it much longer than the prolugue. Hopefully long enough. XD I'll probably write Chapter 2 tonight then post it by tomorrow. :D**

**Oh and I almost forgot...**

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT own The Hunger Games series. All rights belong to Suzanne Collins. **

**Please Review! Thank you. :D**


	3. Chapter 2

**This chapter is about the reaping. I hope this chapter will be good because I write things as I go. XD So yeah... ENJOY! :D**

**Disclaimer: I don't own The Hunger Games.**

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_Rue_

I was next in line. I grimaced as they pricked my finger to get a sample of my blood. When they were done, I immediately went to the thirteen year old section. A few minutes later, I find to my disgust that I am standing next to Felicia.

'Well, hello there dear friend." She says. I roll my eyes, "Like we were ever friends." I mumbled. As more people came in, I feel the reaping will start soon. Itake a glance at the eighteen year old section and I see Dave looking dumbfoundly on the stage. Although it's his last year of eligibility, he's still scared. I can see it in his eyes. When he finally snaps out of his daydream, he looks at me. "You okay?" I mouthed to him. He nodded then stared back at the stage. I sighed then turned to it as well.

It was silent. Everyone was waiting for Effie Trinket to come out and pick the names who will die in the arena. I close my eyes for a second then I hear her voice, "Welcome, everybody! To the 86th Annual Hunger Games!" She exclaims in her Capitol accent. I look at mom who looks as annoyed as usual at Effie and try to hold in my laughter. "As usual, we will show you a special film the Capitol has brought to you!"

Like everything counts. Almost everybody, except the twelve year olds, have seen this already. I ignore it and take a glance at dave. He's rolling his eyes at the screen and I smile at him. I turn back at the stage and see mom and dad look at the screen. I can see it in their eyes they don't want to watch it. Effie is reciting the last words as the clip finished. "Oh, how touching!" She exclaims. _Like it was so touching_, I thought.

"Time to find out our tributes!" She says. My heart is pumping and beating really fast. I am so nervous. _I hope it's not me, Dave or Finn_, I thought repeatedly. "Ladies first!" She says before she walks to the bowl with all the girls' names in there. I close my eyes and took deep breaths. Effie reaches into the bowl, searching for the right piece of slip. She takes out one slip indicating the name that will go into the arena. She walks back to her microphone stand and opens the slip.

"Felicia Hawthorne!" Effie exclaims. _NO! NO, NOT HER!_, I scream in my head. Everyone is looking at the girl next to me right now. Her eyes show fear and she's trembling like crazy. Before she could walk to the stage, I stop her, "No, Felicia, you're not going up there." She looks at me confused, "But I got reap-" "I VOLUNTEER AS TRIBUTE!" I scream. Everyone gasps at my stunt. Mom and dad have their eyes wide open. Mom is clutching onto dads' arm. Felicia pulls me back when I try to walk onto the stage, "No, Rue! Don't do this!" She screams. I shake my head, "I can do this, Felicia. Don't worry." She's crying now. I let go of her grip and she tries to follow me but the peacekeeper stops her. I walk up the stage and everyone has their eyes on me, most filled with sorrow. I look at mom and dad. Mom is now on dad's shoulder.

"What's your name?" Effie asks me. "Rue. Rue Mellark." I reply. She turns back to the microphone and says glumly, "Gentlemen." She goes over to the boys' bowl and picks up a random slip then reads it out loud, "Harold Kea—" "I volunteer!" someone shouts. The voice sounds familiar. Where have I heard it before? The person who shouted comes out of the line and I almost choked. "Another volunteer!" Effie's back to her excited self again. "Come!" She says, gesturing the boy. He goes up the stage and stands up straight, "What's your name?" Effie asks.

"Dave Hawthorne." I close my eyes as he said his name. I can't believe my own best friend would volunteer himself to be in these games. And it's his last year of eligibility! I can't believe he would do something like this! "Our _volunteers _or District 12!" Effie exclaims, "Now, shake hands." I can't look at him. Not directly in the eye. I shake Dave's hand while looking down on the ground. Almost immediately, they take us into the Justice building where we'll say our goodbyes.

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I am placed in a room which has a lot of fancy furniture. The mayor must have a great life, doesn't he? Anyways, I probably expect my family to come here. Obviously not Dave. He's going to say goodbye to is own family. The door slams open, "Three minutes." The peacekeeper says. My parents go inside the room and sit right next to me. "Rue..." My mom begins. "Look, I'm sorry mom. I thought what I was doing was right." I mumbled. She sighs, "It's not that, it's just that-" "Katniss, calm down. Remember what we talked about years ago." dad says to mom. She immediately calms down and starts talking again, "We will begin talking strategies after the opening ceremonies, alright?" I nod my head. "Rue, you can do this." Dad says. I shake my head.

"What if I can't?" I ask him. "We're going to be here for you, alright? We're going to try anything to help you to survive." He says, not really answering my question. I nod and look down. The room became silent. It seems like our three minutes have been used because the pecaekeeper comes back. My parents leave the room and I have to wait for my next visitor.

Suddenly, Finn storms into the room and pulls me into a tight hug. "Uhmm, Finn? You're suffocating me." I say. He pulls away and laughs nervously, "Sorry. I'm just really going to miss you, Rue." I sigh, "You don't think I'm gonna make it, do you?" He frowns, "Since when did I say that? I know you can do this Rue." He says. It was silent for a moment.

"I've seen you hunt." he mumbles. I jolt my head up, "Since when did you know?" I exclaim. He scratches his neck, "I knew for a long time, Rue. I just didn't say anything." I sigh. "Remember, I have faith in you. You can do this." "I have absolutely no faith in myself." I say to him. He sighs, "rue, stop being so pessimistic." It's true. I'm always so pessimistic while he's the opposite. Heck, we don't even look alike.

"Time's up." the peacekeeper says. Finn and I have one last hug before he's taken away by the peacekeeper. What if he's right? What if I _can _do this? No. I can't. I'm only thirteen. I can't win. Dave's most likely to win. I know it. Suddenly, the door slams open and I see Felicia with puffy, red eyes. She comes over and hugs me, "I'm sorry you had to do this." she mumbles.

"I wanted to do it. It's not your fault." I say. She pulls away and looks at me, "Promise me you'll win these games." I'm shocked. I don't know if I can. I can pull a bow and arrow in the arena but will they have one? Will the arena be like mom and dads' games? I don't want to think of the arena just yet but I'm just hoping it will have a forest scene. I snap back to reality and realize I need to answer her. I don't want her to be upset. I don't want to hurt her feelings since her brother and I are going into the games in a few weeks.

"I-I p-promise." I say. I may not even have the chance. Maybe I'll survive a few days but not win. That's impossible. Felicia hugs me again, "I'm sorry for being mean to you. I was always jealous of you." "Jealous of me?" I ask confused, "But why?" She sighs, "Well, duh! You're the daughter of two victors!" She paused for a while before starting again, "And most guys do like you." She mumbles.

Guys like me? I don't even think they do. Some have asked me out but I was too young, okay? "Okay..." I say awkwardly. She smiles, "I'll explain everything after you win." I nod my head with a slight smile on my face. The peacekeeper comes in and tells her to leave, "You promised, Rue!" She shouts before the door closes. Great, I need to win now. Two people believe in me. Well, hopefully my parents as well. The peacekeeper tells me to follow Effie to the car. I get up and do as told.

* * *

I step inside the train and I am amazed by how fancy it looks. Mom showed me a picture of the train before and it looks even more breathtaking in person. It's even more fancy than the Justice Building. What happens if we get to the Capitol? Even MORE fancy stuff. Anyways, Dave and I sit down waiting for our mentors (also known as my parents) to come. We sit there, not talking.

My parents come in and sit opposite us. It was very silent and awkward at first until dad spoke up, "So, when do you want to start?"

"Whenever he wants to." I mumbled, obviously talking about Dave. Dave glares at me, "Why are you mad all of a sudden?" I roll my eyes, "I'm not mad." "You are." He says. "You just don't understand me." He rolls his eyes and continues, "I've known you since we were little, Rue. I know everything about you." "You do?" I say sarcastically, "My brother knows more than you so stop acting like I'm your little sister." "You are my little sister." He says. "I volunteered to help your sister!" I shout, fighting back. "And I volunteered to help you because you're like my sister!" He shouts.

"Mom, where's my room?" I ask. "Effie! Show them to their rooms please." Mom says to Effie. She escorts us to our rooms and I just storm into mine. I start crying on the pillow. My friendship with Dave is ruined. Everything is ruined. I hate the games. I hate the Capitol. I hate everything they forced us into.

I just wanna go home.

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**That's it for this chapter. Hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it. :) Next chapter is more of when they are in the train and when they arrive at the Capitol. :D**


	4. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I don't own The Hunger Games.**

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_Rue_

Mom knocks on the door. I don't want anyone to go inside. I just wanna be alone. Please! "Rue, open the door, please?" She asks. I stay silent for a few minutes, thinking if I should let her in or not. "Rue?" She says once more. I sigh, "Come in." She comes inside and sits on the bed, stroking my bed, "Rue, don't worry about Dave." I cry even more. Mom notices and sits closer to me, "Don't worry, little bird, you're strong." "I'm not. I'm weak. I'm just a kid, mom. Don't expect me to act like an adult." I say.

She sighs, "I expect bigger things, Rue. Like winning these games." I look up at her, "How can I, mom? Look at me! I'm just crying over here like what every girl would do and you're telling me that you expect me to win these games?" I can tell she's shocked at my outburst. I put my head back into my pillow, "I'm sorry." I said, my voice muffled. She strokes my back again, "It's okay, little bird." We stay in this place for half an hour until mom says she has to go. I'm left alone in my room until I heard another knock. The person opens the door and sits on my bed.

"Rue, I'm sorry." The person says. "Dave, it's fine. It was my fault." I replied to him, "But, why do you want to protect me? I'm going to die in the arena anyway..." He sighs, "Remember that time where you were dehydrated because you didn't have water?" Is that why he's here? Just because of dehydration from what happened years ago.

* * *

_I run to the woods crying my eyes out. Finn got amd at me because I spilled juice on his shirt and embarrassed him. When he got home, he was red with anger. He shouted at me and I just ran away. It was late afternoon and I can see the sun setting from afar. I sit on a rock and keep crying. I don't want people to see me weak but they might have already have since I was running here crying my eyes out. Hours have passed and I feel dehydrated already. I don't care. I'm going to die here. No one loves me. They all hate me. I have no friends. My life is horrible. It's around 7 pm right now and I hear footsteps. I stand up in alarm. What if it's a peacekeeper? I start running again and I hear the footsteps following me. I have no energy and I decide it's useless. _

_I fall on the ground, scraping my knee along with it. I turn around and face the person following me. He stops in his tracks, "What are you doing here? It's 7 pm!" he shouts. I can't quite see his face. The voice sounds familiar. I'm not really good at recalling voices especially if they're far away. "Why do you care? I'm going to die here anyway." I say hoarsely from the lack of food and water, "No one loves me anyway." "Rue..." He says. I finally recognize the voice, "Dave..." _

"_Rue, what happened?" He asks. I tell him about Finn getting mad and me coming here. "You need a drink." He says after I tell him what happened. I was getting pretty thirsty. And he probably noticed it because I had a hoarse voice. He sighs, "Let's go." He grabs my arm but I jerk it away, "I'm not going. I'm staying here." He sighs, "I'll be back." _

_And with that he's gone. I wait patiently for him but the thirst is killing me. After what seemed like an hour (although it may be 15 minutes), I begin to close my eyes. I don't need water, who cares? I heard footsteps as my world turns into complete darkness._

* * *

"Just because of that?" I shouted. He seems startled by this, "Look, it's not just that. There's other reasons why but-" "I can handle things myself, Dave! I was not that stupid little 9 year old you saw in the woods that night. I'm more mature now!" I shout. He sighs, "Even though you won't accept the fact that I'm trying to help you, I'll still do it." he says before leaving the room. I suddenly start to feel sleepy. I close my eyes and drift away into another world.

* * *

_I run away from the mutts as fast as I can. These mutts look like the wolf mutts from mom and dads' games. I get on top of the Cornucopia and one leaps and gets on top of it as well. I am losing my breath and the wolf has a smirk on his face, "Giving up, Rue?" "Never." I say. It lunges at me and I manage to get out of its way. It growls, "Pretty good for a thirteen year old." I load my bow and it smirks, "You can't kill me." "And why not?" I ask, ready to shoot. Suddenly it transforms into a human figure. I was shocked. Who was it turning into? It can't fool me. I'm strong and I can win this. I gasp as I see who it transformed into. The person smirks, "Missed me, Rue?" "YOU'RE NOT DAVE!" I shout. _

_It's eyes suddenly had sympathy. It comes closer and holds my shoulders, "It is me, Rue. Believe me." _

_No. _

_I try not to fall for it but it does seem like Dave. I look at it in the eyes againand it smiles, "Dave?" He smiles and I start to believe it is him. Rue, stop this! He's not Dave! He's a mutt! He pulls me into a hug and I feel the warmth of Dave in it. We stay in that position until I feel a sharp pain across my back. I pull away from the hug and I find myself bleeding. _

_I have been fooled. _

_He has another smirk on his face and takes out a knife then stabs it into my heart. I take my last breath of air and collapse on the ground._

* * *

I wake up and find myself screaming. Dad comes in the room and hugs me, "Rue, it's fine. You're okay." I cry on his chest and mom comes in the room as well, "Dave. K-k-killed me." I stutter. Mom strokes my back, "Honey, he didn't. It was just a bad dream." "Th-th-the m-mutt." I stutter once more. Mom looks at dad very concerned, "Come on, Rue. Let's just have dinner." dad says to me.

We go into the dining room and I see Dave already sitting down. I try to control my anger. _It was just a dream_, I remind myself. I sit next to my mom and start eating. Mom gestures me to eat the lamb stew, "It's good, try it." I took a sip of the soup and a bite on the lamb and it was better than the food I tasted at home. But I still miss home.

Mom, dad and Effie were casually talking while Dave and I were just sitting there, eating our food silently. A door opened and we were all startled to see Haymitch.

"Surprised, everybody?" He says, casually. Haymitch sorta used to be a drunk, but mom and dad forced him to stop drinking alcohol and try to stay sober. Surprisingly, it worked. "Haymitch!" I exclaimed. He smiles, "Hi there, Rue." I return back the smile and continue eating. Haymitch takes a seat next to Effie and he starts eating as well, "What are you doing here, Haymitch?" Dad asks, surprised that he's here.

"I wanted to see your daughter before she went into the games." He says. I gulp down my drink and almost choke on it as he says that. He notices and says, "Sorry, sweetheart." I roll my eyes on that nickname. He uses that nickname on mom as well. "Who's your other tribute?" He asks. Dave shots his head back up, "I'm Dave." He says. Haymitch nods and continues eating. Dave sighs and continues as well. I excuse myself from dinner and go back tomy room. I turn on the TV and watch the recaps of the reaping.

District 1 has 2 volunteers this year. Not really surprising, they _are _a career district after all. The girl volunteer has golden yellow hair with big, blue eyes, and the boy has ashy blonde hair with green eyes. I remember their name are Shine and Rain. Ridiculous names. From District 2, a girl with dark brown hair with blue eyes, and the guy had same features as the girl. Their names are Deanne and Mason and the girl was a volunteer.

I practically ignored the other districts until District 8 came. I was shocked when I saw a girl with fiery, red hair with big brown eyes. I remember her name is Andrea. If I could make her my ally, I could. I bet District 12 was the highlight of all the reapings since there _were _or _are _2 volunteers.

I turned off the TV and heard Dave talk, "Seems like they picked a favorite already." I raised an eyebrow at him, "What are you talking about?" He comes inside and sits on my bed, "I bet Haymitch will try to talk to the Capitol citizens and get you sponsors." I faced him, "Maybe there will be some for you." He shakes his head an looks down, "I'll see you tomorrow, Rue." He stands up and walks to the door, "Dave?" I ask. He turns around and does a simple, "Hmm?" "I'm sorry. About earlier." I say.

He smiles, "Don't sweat it." And then he goes to his room. It's quite early to be asleep but I feel exhausted about the events of today. I change into simple pajamas and lay on my bed. I shut my eyes and drift to sleep.

* * *

I slowly wake up from my dreamless sleep and go to the bathroom. I look at the buttons on the shower. _How can someone know what this is? _I thought to myself. I turn on what seems to be the warm water and take a quick shower. I change into a purple V-neck shirt, denim jeans and some flats. I go outside and eat breakfast; pancakes and some hot chocolate. I didn't want to fill up my stomach because of the tribute parade. The train suddenly became dim, "We're in a tunnel." Mom reassures us. For a few minutes, we were eating in dim light. The light reappears when we were done. I looked out the window and saw the Capitol before my eyes.

It was amazing.

"Now, smile and make them like you." Dad says to us. We arrive on our stop and I see many citizens with very odd colors of hair and different colored skin. It made me want to puke. We finally stopped and the doors open, revealing us to the Capitol. How do they stand looking at themselves in the mirror? It makes me sick.

But here I am in the Capitol at last.

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**Hope you liked this. I couldn't upload yesterday because of procrastination, e.g. Tumblr, Tumblr, Tumblr. :D**

**ehehe, sorry. :P**


	5. Chapter 4

**Sorry I haven't been writing the last few days. Was in school checking our exams. :P Anyways, the tribute parade! :D And I finally know how to seperate my stories. YES! -insert gifboom gif here- xD **

**Disclaimer: I don't own The Hunger Games. The only thing I own is the plot.**

**Happy reading! :D**

* * *

_Rue_

We are taken into the Remake centre to prepare for the tribute parade. I lay in pain as they remove the hair from my legs. I don't have that much and I'm thirteen! "She doesn't have that much hair, Lorelle." a woman named Quella says to her. Another guy named Halbert nods his head. "Nonsense!" Lorelle says with her very thick Capitol accent.

Lorelle is the strangest of them all. She has multi colored hair and her skin is tinted purple. Quella has blue hair and her skin is normal while Halbert has green skin with dark hair. They lead me into an empty room and with my moms' request, I don't have to be nude in front of my stylist.

I wait patiently for my stylist to come. I think of what he/she will make us wear. Hopefully something good. Suddenly, the stylist goes inside. "Hello there, Rue." He says politely, "I'm Torrence, your stylist." "Nice to meet you, Torrence." I say quietly. He's normal compared to all the citizens. No work done to him at all.

"You seem... normal." I say to him. He chuckles, "I don't think any of those surgeries are useful." I smile slightly, "I admire what you did at the reaping. No young girl like you would be as brave." He says. "I wanted to help my friend." I say. He smiles, "Would you like to get dressed?" I nod my head and he tells me to wear a black unitard. They use this idea every year know because of what happened with mom and dads' "fire".

"Let me guess: girl on fire?" I say. He chuckles, "I wanted something different this year." I'm confused. Why is he still putting me in this unitard? Oh well. Let's just wait and see what happens...

* * *

I step out of the Remake Centre and I walk over to our chariot. My face isn't full of makeup and my hair is pulled into a ponytail. Dave steps out of the centre and takes a spot next to me, "We're supposed to be coal after a fire." he mumbles. I nod and look at Torrence, "He's right. So at first you'll be on fire but later it will be put out and the cape will have red linings at the side." We both nod and step into the chariot. Torrence lights up our capes when the first chariot is gone.

"Remember to smile!" Mom says. Soon enough, the chariot in front of us is gone. _Great_, I thought. Suddenly, the doors open and we are pulled into the square of the Capitol.

People were screaming our names, "Rue! Dave! District 12!" Most people were shocked when they saw our cape wasn't on fire anymore. I glanced back and gasped when our capes were giving out red sparks. Not just small tiny sparks but big, _massive _sparks that got everyone going _ooooohh _or _ahhhh_. I turn back to face the front and put on my brightest smile. Everyone screams louder at this point. _These freaks... Praising tributes now but want them to be killed later on_, I thought.

I am shocked when the chariot suddenly stops. I almost trip but dave catches me, "Thanks." I mumble. He nods and looks at the President of Panem. I want to punch her so bad. She ruined my life. If it weren't for her, our lives would be peaceful. President Idelia welcomes us to the games, "May the odds be ever in your favor!" I look over at Dave. He's glaring at her. I chuckle and he looks over to me.

"What's so funny?" He asks. "Nothing." I reply and look away. We are now whisked away to the Training Centre this time. The career tributes are glaring at us. I flash a smile at them and they scowl. "That was great!" dad says. I smile, "I feel tired. Can we go to the penthouse?" They agree and we go into the elevator. The tributes from District 1 and 8 are in here as well.

"Look who stole the show!" the girl, Shine, says, directing at us. I roll my eyes, "Well, that's too bad." She glares at me, "Shine, don't worry about her." the boy, Rain, says to her. They must like each other or something like that because she smiles at him when they go inside their floor. I notice the girl from District 8 rolling her eyes. I chuckle and watch them go to their own floor. After a few minutes, we arrive at the penthouse.

I am utterly amazed at how the Capitol made this place. First the train and now the penthouse. "We will have dinner later! Now go get changed!" Effie exclaims. The avoxes show us to our rooms and I jump into my bed, exhausted from standing up. About half an hour later, I decide to change to a white v-neck t-shirt, and some shorts. I tie my hair up in a high ponytail and head to the dining table. Apparently no one is there yet and I head to the 'living room'. I see mom and dad watching the recap of the tribute parade.

"Don't we look great?" I say. They turn back, surprised at my sudden response. I sit down next to them, "Wow, District 1 has _outdone _themselves this year." Mom and dad laugh at my sarcasm. I hear Effie knock on Dave's door and telling him that dinner is ready. I roll my eyes as I hear Dave groaning. Effie walks over to us and tells us the same thing. We all nod and she walks away.

I stand up and walk to Daves' room. I knock on the door and he groans again, "Go away, Effie!" "It's not Effie." I say. "Then, you can come in." he says. I go inside his room and find it messy. I laugh and he looks at me with a raised eyebrow, "Why are you laughing?" "The room's messy." I say. "Isn't it always messy?" He says. I smile and sit on his bed, "Look, I'm sorry about what happened on the train. I wasn't thinking.." "It's fine, Rue. I understand why you were acting like that." He says.

I look at him and he smiles slightly. I smile back, "We should get going to dinner." He nods, "I'll be there." I walk out of the room and go to the dinner table. I find mom and dad chatting with Haymitch. I take a seat next to mom and Haymitch starts talking about the tribute parade.

"It was spectacular! Different! The Capitol was tired of the same old fire." he says. Dave comes over a few minutes later and we begin. I can't get enough of the lamb stew. It's delicious! "So, any advice?" Dave asks the mentors. "Stay alive." they say at the same time. They suddenly start laughing. Dave and I look at each other, exchanging glances, "What's so funny?" I snap at them. They stop laughing and look at me, "Honey, if you were mentors like us before," dad begins "you would understand."

"This isn't funny!" I shout. They're startled at my sudden outburst, "Honey, we're sorry. We shouldn't ha-" I interupt mom at what she was going to say, "Our lives depend on you guys! We will die if you just mess here and joke around!" I shout once more. Silence comes across the table. I continue eating my dinner while the rest are just staring at me. I ignore their stares and continue eating. After a few minutes of silence, I start to talk again, "Well? Eat. I'm done anyway." I stand up and head to my room. I take a look at the the window and see the Capitol. Bright lights and people with funny features.

I take a look at my bedside table. I see a remote and take it. _I wonder what this does_, I thought. I pressed a button and the "window" magically turns into a view of the Capitol in daylight. "Cool." I say and press the next button. I close it as I take a view of the Cornucopia. I can't think about it now. Not at a time like this. I just need to try to get sponsors. But how? I'm not likeable or funny or anything Capitol people want! I groan as I lay on my bed. I slowly start to drift off to a nightmare.

* * *

_I am on a tree aiming at my target with my bow & arrow. I let the arrow fly and suddenly feel a pang of guilt as I hear the cannon. I killed someone. Not just anyone, but my best friend, Dave. I betrayed him. I told him that I would stay by his side. I'm a horrible best friend. I don't even think he considers me as a 'friend' anymore. I slowly sob and I let the hovercraft take his body. I cry even more as I hear the hovercraft going away. "How could you?" I hear someone shout. I turn around but no one is there. This must be one of the Capitols' creations to make me go crazy. I ignore the talking voice but it keeps shouting at me, "Why, Rue, why?" _

"_Whatever your doing, I'm not going to be fooled!" I scream. Nothing. No response. I sigh. The careers would be looking for me now. I mean, they heard me shout. I sigh and just wait in this tree for them to come. Nightfall came, and they haven't arrived yet. I bet they are really far. But they'll come, I know it. I hear the voice shout again, "You're going to die, Rue! For what you did!" I don't know why the Capitol is doing this! I mean I'm letting myself starve and dehydrate. I'm also letting the careers catch me and kill me. _

_A floating figure appears in front of me. I gasp and feal terrified on what it's going to do to me, "What do you want from me?" I shout, showing my fear. The figure smirks and moves closer. I recognise the face and gasp. No! It's not him! He's dead. I killed him! "Rue. You're going to pay." He says. "Dave, I'm sorry! I didn't mean it. It's the games! Dave, please don't kill me!" I say, begging and begging. He smirks, "I'm sorry, Rue." he says with no sympathy at all. I scream as he comes even closer. He suddenly shouts, "Come and get her guys!" _

_Emerging from the bushes is the careers. They are laughing hysterically, "Well, well, well! If it isn't the girl with the sparks!" Shine says. "We're just going to shut those sparks down, aren't we?" Rain says as he's smirking. Dave helps them up and I jump onto the next tree. Luckily, since I'm thirteen and I'm quite small, I can do that. Unfortunately, they were on top of the other tree already and they still have an advantage at catching me. I fall to the ground and they do the same. I run as fast as I can but they're just too fast. I get cornered in a tunnel and they get their weapons out, "So long, sparky." Rain says. He raises his sword and..._

* * *

_Katniss_

I hear Rue screaming in her room. "Katniss, go to her. She needs you." Peeta says to me as she screams. I nod and remove the blanket covering me. I walk fast to Rue's room and find the door is unlocked. I go inside and find her still screaming. I lay down next to her and she wakes up. "M-mom." she stutters. I try to calm her down by telling her it's just a dream. "But, the careers. They were killing me." She says. This kills me inside. I never wanted her or Finnick to experience this. EVER. Now, even if she does win, she would get nightmares like these. Except worse. I start to sing her a lullaby.

_Deep in the meadow, under the willow, a__ bed of grass, a soft green pillow, lay down your head, and close your sleepy eyes, and when again they open, the sun will rise. _

She begins to close her eyes and I continue the song.

_Here it's safe, here it's warm, h__ere the daisies guard you from every harm, here your dreams are sweet and tomorrow brings them true, here is the place where I love you. _

She is not shaking anymore but I can feel that she's still awake. I smile and continue.

_Deep in the meadow, hidden far away, a__ cloak of leaves, a moonbeam ray, forget your woes and let your troubles lay, and when again it's morning, they'll wash away. _

_Here it's safe, here it's warm, h__ere the daisies guard you from every harm, here your dreams are sweet and tomorrow brings them true, here is the place where I love you. _

And with that she's asleep. I kiss her slightly on her foreheard and go back to me and Peetas' room. I cover the blanket over myself and I feel strong arms wrap around me, "She alright?" he asks. I nod my head.

"Hopefully." I say.

* * *

**HOPE YOU LIKE THIS CHAPTER. :D I decided to write the last part in Katniss's POV because it seemed a bit more appropriate for this. :D STAY TUNED FOR THE NEXT ONE. :D**


	6. Chapter 5

**Here's chapter 5! This is when training begins. :D hopefully next chapter would be when they do their private sessions. But it obviously won't. :P **

**And thank you all for the reviews! It keeps me motivated to writing this story. :D**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Hunger Games!**

* * *

_Rue_

Effie is knocking on the door telling me to wake up. I groan and go straight into the shower. I press a random button and cold water comes out. I instantly freeze when I step into it. I press another button and the water turns warmer. After taking a quick shower, I change into my training outfit. I put my hair into a high ponytail and walk outside. I see mom, dad and Dave already at the table eating breakfast. I walk over and greet them, "Morning!" Mom smiles, "How was your sleep?" I freeze as I remember my dream. I put on my brightest smile, "It was great!" Itake a seat next to Dave and I start putting food on my plate.

Effie takes a seat next to dad and she blabbers something about training. I don't really think she cares. She just wants to make a conversation. "You guys will go down at 10." Mom says. "Don't go to the areas that you already know." Dad says. Dave looks at me and I roll my eyes. He laughs which makes mom and dad confused, "What's so funny?" mom asks, confused. "It's nothing, mom." I can see that she's getting quite suspicious. I give her a reassuring smile and she calms down a bit but her suspicion stays in her eyes. I check the time. It's around 9:30 so I still have time to rest for a while. I finish my breakfast around 10 minutes later and go back to my room.

I think of which station I'll go first. I won't go to the archery station but I wish I could. I miss hunting in the woods but this is for my own good. I could go to the edible plants station first. Or maybe where the knives are. If I'm good with a bow & arrow, I could be good with a knife, right?I may also try and go to the knots station. I can make snares as good as Dave can make them. Also try the camouflage station as well.

I go back outside after 10 minutes of thinking and head down to the bottom of the training centre with Dave and 'meet' the other tributes. The head trainer tells us things to remember in the games and what to do in the area. She reminds us that not only are the weapons important, but the survival skills as well. I glance at the careers as she says this. Rain rolls his eyes and Shine snickers. Deanne and Mason, from District 2, aren't paying attention at all. The trainer dismisses us and we go to where we want to go. I go to the edible plants station first and I must say I'm pretty good with this.

"Wow, you're really good." Someone says. I turn around and see a girl with dark brown hair like mine but with sea green eyes. I smiles and thank her. "I'm Camille, District 4." she says. "I'm Rue, District 12." I say and she smiles, "I know. You basically stole the show at the tribute parade." I smile at this, "Well, it was nice meeting you, Camille." "It was nice meeting you as well." she says. I smile and she walks away. I notice the girl from District 8, Andrea, was smiling. She walks over to the rope climbing station. I watch her intently as she hnags on to the rope and perfectly makes it to the other side. _I wish I could do that_, I thought. I notice dave is in the knots station and I walk over to him.

"Hey." I say as I reach him. "Hey." he replies as he's tying a knot. He finishes it within seconds and my face gives away the fact that I'm really impressed. Dave chuckles, "Want me to teach you?" I nod and he losens the knot. After a few minutes of ttrying, I finally knot how to make a simple but strong knot, "Well done!" Dave says. I laugh and everyone stares at us. I shot them a glare and they go back to their own business. I look back at Dave, "I'm going over to the knives." He seems shocked by this, "You could make a fool of yourself." I huff and he laughs, "Okay, give it a go." he says. I smile and walk over to the knives' station.

Deanne is right in front of me, throwing knives but missing every single target. She scowls and tries again but still fails, "Give it up, Deanne. Face it, I can do it better than _you_!" Shine says. Deanne scowls at her, "You could be better than me but your personality is bulls-" "Ladies!" Rain begins, "Let's go to another stations, shall we?" Shine smils at him while Deanne rolls her eyes. I can tell she likes Rain but Shine is what he's interested in. They walk away to the hand to hand combat station while I take a knife. Most people are staring at me. _What is a thirteen year old __little girl playing with knives? _They're thinking. I roll my eyes at them and aim the knife in place.

_Just think it's archery_, I tell myself. I throw the knife and it lands exactly on the center of the heart. I glance at the gamemakers and they seem to be impressed. I glance at the tributes and some of them have their jaw dropped. Igrab another knife and throw it at another dummy. Another perfect shot. I smile to myself and I glance at the tributes again. Now, _everybody _is looking at me. _Just one more_, I say to myself. I grab one last knife and throw it at the last dummy. Three perfect shots from Rue Mellark. I smile and walk away like nothing happened. Dave walks over to me and gives me a high five.

"That was awesome! Everybody was really impressed. Their jaws dropped!" He says. I laugh at his rant, "It wasn't _that _big of a deal, was it?" "Of course it was!" he replies. I laugh and we both reach the camouflage station. I look at the archery station and I immediately looked down. I want to shoot one so badly. Dave notices and starts to cheer me up, "It's okay, Rue! You just need to learn something new." I look up at him and smiled, slightly, "Don't worry about it. Let's just try some camouflage."

We tried and tried but we failed miserably at this. We laugh as we see our failed camouflage and just wipe it all off. They dismiss us all and we go back to our floors. "How was first day of training?" mom asks us. "It was good. I learned a new skill." I say. "It was so cool! She didn't even need to practice and she perfected it already!" Dave exclaims. Mom laughs, "What skill did you learn?" "Knives." I say. She looks impressed, "If you can show that in the private sessions, you can get a high score for sure." I smile and sit down on the couch.

Dad comes in and sits next to mom, "Hey, honey. How was training?" "It was good." I reply. Daves' eyes widened, "Good? You're kidding?" Mom laughs, "Dave, calm down." Dad laughs along with her, "What happened actually?" "Rue learned a new skill!" Dave exclaimed. I roll my eyes. Whenever Dave gets excited about something, he gets all giddy about it and won't stop talking, "It wasn't that big of a deal." I say to him. "Rue..." he says while putting his hand on my shoulder, "Sweet, little, _innocent _Rue." I laugh when he says this. Mom and dad start laughing as well. Sooner or later Dave will start laughing. And then he did. This was the most fun we ever had since the reaping. Dave was personally close with my mom and dad. They sometimes even consider him as one of us.

"I'm going to change." I said. Dave nods his head in agreement and both of us go inside our rooms. I feel lazy so I just lay on my bed and think about the games. They have been on my mind lately. I wanna focus on how to survive them but also try to have fun with my family since there is a high chance I won't see them again. I begin to think of strategies and ways to survive in the arena. In any kind of arena, hopefully.

After half an hour of thinking, I finally change into a patterned tank top and burgundy capri pants. I walk back outside and sat down next to mom and dad. I talk to them about what happened during training and Dave comes over half an hour later, "Why so long, Dave?" I ask. He scoots over with us, "I need to look pretty, don't I?" he says jokingly. We laugh and we talk about camouflage as well, "You should've seen our work. It was horrible." I say. Dad chuckles and mom rolls her eyes, "Your dad is a show off sometimes." she says. Dad pretends to be shocked and hits her lightly on the shoulder, "I am not." Mom rolls her eyes again, "Just because you're good at camouflage, doesn't mean your daughter and her friend is good at it as well."

After talking about our training, we talk more about the games. Sponsors, strategies, weapons, skills, etc. "Remember, in the arena, there could be anyone lurking for you." dad says. Dave and I just nod our heads and try to keep it in our minds. "What about weapons?" Dave asks. Mom and dad look at each other, "Rue has her knives." mom says. _And my bow & arrows_ I thought. "Dave, what about you?" dad asks him. He shrugs and starts to think about it, "Maybe a sword?" I raise my eyeborw at him, "What?" he says as he sees my expression. "Maybe some weightlifting can do." I say. My parents nod when I say this. He thinks about it again and says, "I could do it." I smile, "I guess we're done here. I'll be in my room if you need me." I walk to my room and lay on my bed. I begin to close my eyes and fall into a deep sleep.

* * *

_The next day_

I didn't even wake up for dinner! I must have been pretty tired. I look at the clock. It's 9:30! I run to the bathroom and take a quick shower. I quickly change into my training outfit. I don't even bother to tie my hair up but I bring a hair tie with me. I go out to the dining table and grab a sandwich. I walk into the elevator and head down the building. I quickly finish my food and joined the other tributes. I did almost went to the same stations as I did yesterday. I didn't go to the knives station and I decided to go practice some more camouflage. Dave did hand to hand combat and joined me in camouflage. I got better at it but Dave still has his 'problems'.

The whole day went faster than I remember and little did I know, tomorrow would be, well, how do I say this, one of the _GREATEST _days of my life.

* * *

**I hint the sarcasm at the end btw. Hope you like this! It's a bit boring actually. But I guess it'll do. :D SEE YA SOON. I'll write the next one write away! :)**


	7. Chapter 6

**Third day of training and private sessions! Excited? Hopefully. XD I'm so excited for the interviews! I have a dress planned out for rue already! :D I need ideas for Dave though. I'll try to make it good.**

**And thank you so much for the reviews! I didn't know I was going to get that much. SO THANK YOU. :D**

**Disclaimer: I don't own The Hunger Games.**

* * *

_Rue_

Dave and I walk to the spears station. Dave takes one and throws it at the farthest dummy. I am amazed at this and Dave smiles proudly of it, "Thank you. You're too kind." I roll my eyes and laugh, "You think you're so good." He laughs and I pick one up as well. I throw it at the second farthest dummy and it hits the stomach. I huff in frustration and Dave just keeps on laughing, "Shut up, Dave! I'm better than you in camouflage, knives and don't forget, _archery_." He stops laughing and glares at me. I laugh at his reaction and continue practicing it. I should've practiced this yesterday. Oh well, too late for that.

We walk over to the knives station and find all of the careers are there. Everyone except Camille. I wonder where she is. She seems like a good ally to me. They look over to us and roll their eyes. Rain and Shine are talking to each other and keeps glancing over to me. I step closer to hear what they're talking about. "We can't let her be in our group." Shine says. Rain shakes his head, "She may be young but she's strong."

They're talking about me.

Shine sighs and continues, "I don't care. She doesn't belong." They keep arguing about keeping me in the career group. I get tired of their bickering and grab a small knife. Since there is a big gap between them, this is a great way to surprise them. Dave looks at me worriedly and I give him a reassuring smile and walk away. I stay a bit of a distance away from them and aim myself at the target. I throw the knife and it passes threw Shine and Rain. They get startled and become quiet. They look over at me and I smile. Deanne, Mason and the guy from District 4 look over at me as well. I walk over to Dave and he's smiling like an idiot, "That. Was. Awesome!" I smile at him and we walk over to the weightlifting station. I'm not going to do anything but Dave will try to lift some of them. After 15 minutes of it, he got the hang of it and mastered it. I was quite surprised. We head over to the knots station and begin to tie them. I try making a snare but once again, I failed. Dave laughs at my attempt to make one. I look at the archery station and sigh. Dave notices and pats my back, "Don't worry. Show them what you got to the gamemakers tomorrow." I smile and we start walking to another station. But before we get there, the careers stop us, "Hey!" Deanne says, "We want you guys in our group." I look at them shocked. "By _we_, she means _they_." Shine says, obviously not liking the fact that I should be joining them.

I look over to Dave and it seems like his interested. My jaw drops and I close them before I turn back to the careers, "I'm not interested." I say to them. They looked shocked when I said that. Dave is shocked as well, "Excuse us for a moment." He drags me far away from them, "What the hell are you doing?" "I'm not joining those _monsters_!" I reply. Dave sighs, "It's an opportunity of a lifetime!" "Dave, you know how much I hate them! They are monsters! They kill people for fun!" I say. There was a silence between us before I speak again, "If you want to join them, then do it! I don't care, just go with them." dave opens his mouth to fight back but I immediately walk away before he says anything. I can't believe him. I thought he hated them. Last night he kept saying that he hates them with all his gut. I won't let him get to me. I won't. I walk over to the knives station and I pick up a knife.

Small, but dangerous. Just like me.

I'm not letting Dave ruin my chance. I'll show them. I'll show them that I'm not just some weak little, pathetic thriteen year old. I'll show them that I'm strong. I throw the knife at the farthest dummy and I must've thrown with force because it makes a hole through the dummy. These games change people. It's changed my best friend.

But it won't change me. I could go mad but I'm not letting that get to me. If dad can recover from his hijacking, then I can recover from being mad and crazy. The gamemakers dismisses us and tells us to be well prepared for tomorrow. I smile slightly. _I'm ready_, I say. As I walk to the elevator, I have planned out of what I'll do in the private sessions. First, I'll throw knives, then tie some knots, make some snares and _archery_. I smile at the thought of that. I miss it. I want to hunt in the woods like the old times. I wish these games never existed. But if it didn't, then I wouldn't be here.

I walk into the penthouse and see mom sitting on the couch, excited to hear what happened. "How's training?" she asks. I sigh and just walk past her. I open the door to my room and walk into it. After closing the door, I change into some comfortable clothes and lay on my bed. I hear a knock on the door, "Come in." I say. Mom comes in with a worried face. She closes the door and sits on the bed with my back facing her, "Rue, tell me what happened. Why are you so upset?" I sigh, "Dave wants to join the careers." I can tell by the silence that mom is shocked. I finally rotate my body and face her. Her eyes are full of hatred and anger and shows a bit of betrayal, "I thought he didn't want to. Rue, that doesn't sound like him." I sigh once more, "We argued about it. He thinks its an _opportunity_." Mom sighs, "I'll talk to dad about this." She begins to stand up and walk to the door. I sit straight up and stop her.

"No! Just let him, if he wants to." I say. Mom sighs and walk outside. I lay back on my bed and find the door opening again. I find dad standing outside of the door, "Rue, let me show you something." he says. Istand up and follow him. He leads me up a staircase and to the roof. I stand there shocked at the view, "Dad, what is this place?" I ask. He chuckles, "It's just the roof. I come up here for some relaxation." I look at him and see that he's worried, "Dad, why are you so worried?" I ask him. He sighs and begins, "The games begin in 2 days. I'm worried about you and Dave." he says. I sigh and look at the view. There are Capitol people with crazy colored skin and hair. Some have tattoes that sparkle. I pull out a disgust face and he chuckles, "They sicken me as well." he says. I look at him with a serious face and sigh before I begin saying,

"Dave wants to join the careers."

He looks at me, shocked at what I said. I nod and look back at the view, "Rue, what happened?" he asks. "The careers asked us to join them but I said no." I began, "Dave pulled me away from them and gave me a talk. We argued and I didn't talk to him since." Dad looks at me with sorrowful eyes. I sigh and take a deep breath, "Dad, don't worry about me in the games. I'll be fine and prepared." I say. "I'm still worried, Rue. I remember the lack of water incident." he says. I cringe at the thought of that. Will I dehydrate in the arena? Hopefully not. And if I do, I'll surely die. I shudder at the thought again and just keep looking at the view.

"We better get going before your mother gets worried." he says, "You know you're mother." I chuckle when he says that and head back down with him. Mom was really worried about us. She begin to ask dad questions on what we did on the roof and others as well. I laugh as I see dads' face and go to my room. I pass Dave as I'm going there and shot him a glare. He seems to notice and keeps walking. I storm into my room and just watch the rest of day pass by. Tomorrow is going to be a long day.

* * *

I see the line of tributes waiting for their turn at the private sessions. The careers were not scared at all. Their faces show that they're ready. Most people think that Rain will get the highest score. I roll my eyes at the thought. Even girls from other districts,5,6,7, etc., were falling over heels for him. Not me. He's a bloody monster in my eyes along with his minions. Tributes come and go and it's almost District 12s' turn to show their skills.

"Dave Hawthorne." a robotic voice says and he goes into the room. I sigh and begin to tremble. I'm scared. I am quite proud of myself for learning a new skill but I haven't touched a bow and arrow of what seems like FOREVER. What if I miss a shot? This is really frustrating. I don't like it when I'm nervous. Whenever I try to tell mom I go hunting, I always get really shaky and later I just shrug it all off. I just hate it.

After 15 minutes of waiting, a robotic voice calls my name. I take a deep breath and walk in. The gamemakers are getting tired of this and are very relieved that it's the last tribute. I roll my eyes and grab a knife. Some are looking at me but others are just ignoring. I scoff, "Excuse me!" I shout. They get startled at my outburst, "Just because I'm from District 12 doesn't mean that you can just ignore me! Maybe next year you can start from District 12 instead!" I shout. Now I've got their attention. I start throwing knives at every dummy. I start to sweat and look at them. They are very impressed and are writing something down. I go and tie some knots but some gamemakers are quite bored by it. I make some snares and most of them get quite inpressed. My last and final thing to impress them.

_Archery._

I walk over to where the bow and arrows are. Some gamemakers are quite surprised because they never saw me go to this station before. I smirk and load my bow. I aim for the nearest dummy first so that I can gradually get the hang of it again. The gamemakers seem very impressed. All of them pay attention as I shoot my last arrow at the last dummy. It becomes very silent now. I mean it was always quiet but it was very eerie because no one is making any kind of sound.

"You may leave." the head gamemaker says. I put back the bow and arrow and leave the room. Hopefully I'll get an 8 or a 10. I step into the elevator and go to the penthouse. It's quite lonely when you're alone in the elevator but it's just a short ride. I walk in and mom, dad and Effie are talking on the couch. I sigh and just walk into my room. I jump onto my bed. I wish I can stay in this position forever. The bed feels soft and warm and everytime I lay on it, I feel sleepy.

I groan as I realize that I have to change. After doing that, I lay back into my bed and start falling asleep. I know I said I would rather do something important rather than sleeping but sometimes it's good to drift off into another world sometimes. Unless it's a nightmare...

I wake up just in time for dinner. After this, we will know our scores for the private sessions. I enjoy the Capitol food and think about the training scores. _What will I get? What about Dave? Camille? The girl from District __8, Andrea? The careers? _These thoughts fill my head as I eat. My mom notices me daydreaming, "Rue, are you okay?" I nod my head quickly and finish my food. Effie looks at the clock a few minutes later, "Time to check the scores!" We finish our food quickly and head to the 'living room'. Dad opens the TV and he sits down between mom and Haymitch. I sit on the on the farthest end from the adults because I don't want them asking questions on what I did in the private sessions. Caesar Flickerman comes on the TV and welcomes us to the programme and some other stuff. Finally, it's time for the scores. Shine gets a 9, Rain gets an 11, Deanne gets an 11, Mason gets an 8, Camille gets a 6, Andrea gets a 7, and soon enough, it's already District 12.

"District 12, Dave Hawthorne." Caesar says. The room goes silent until Caesar says "A ten!" Everyone, except me, claps their hands and congratulating Dave, "Congrats." I mumble. He slightly smiles and turns back to the TV.

"District 12, Rue Mellark." Caesar says. My heart is beating fast, my hands are getting sweaty, I'm not even looking at the TV. I close my eyes and let my head fill the thoughts as I miss my own training score.

Everyone is screaming and shouting loudly. Dave is grinning widely mom and dad are jumping for joy, Haymitch is rolling his eyes at mom and dad but still proud of the score, Torrence is just smiling at the screen and I just have a confused look on my face, "What's going on?" They stop their loud shouting and grin.

"You got a twelve, Rue!" Dave shouts.

* * *

**BOOM. THERE YA HAVE IT. XD I finally finished it. :P The games are coming closer to us. O.O ARE YOU EXCITED? No, you're not because you are not selfish like the Capitol is. :P**


	8. Chapter 7

**Interview time! Well, later in this chapter actually. And then the next chapter is the games! O.O I'm sorry for not posting for a long time. I was sick. :( But I'm feeling better now so I shall continue! :)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Hunger Games. **

_Rue_

My jaw drops. A 12? I was just expecting a 10. Do they want the careers to target me or something? Or do they admire the things I can do? Maybe both but most likely they want people to target me. That's when it hits me. I walk slowly to my room and close the door behind me. I sit on the bed and think about it some more.

They want revenge.

On mom and dad. To torture their children on live television. My anger at the Capitol grows even more as I think about them having revenge at my parents. I want Dave to win this, even though I'm still mad at him, but somehow I don't want the Capitol to get what they want. I am happy that I got a 12 but I'm still angry at the Capitol. Mom knocks on the door and I tell her to come in. She sits down next to me and asks me what's wrong. I shake my head, "Nothing's wrong." "There must be something. You left the room with your face dumbfounded." I sigh and turn to face her. I am trembling and scared because they could hear me right now.

"They want revenge, mom." I say, barely a whisper. My moms' smile drops and turns into a frown, "Who do they think they are?" She exclaims. I try to shush her down because they could be watching our every move. She sighs, "Sorry, Rue. I can't help it." I smile slightly, "I just want to sleep." She nods and leaves the room. I decide to take a quick shower before I sleep. After showering, I change into a light blue tank top and baggy pants and hop into my bed. I pull the covers up and the door swings open. I smile at the person at the door.

"Hey, Torrence." I say. He closes the door behind him and sits on my bed, "I just wanted to say you're going to LOVE your dress tomorrow." he says. I raise an eyebrow, "Will I? I might not." He chuckles, "You will. I am sure of it." I laugh and he does as well, "I'm going to let you rest. You're going to need some training for your interview tomorrow." I nod and he leaves the room. I lay down on my bed and turn off the lights. I start drifting to sleep to an unusual dream.

* * *

_I am sitting on the grass in the meadow and stroke the grass carefully. I look up and see a figure. I start to freak out and stand up. She gives me a warming smile and tells me to calm down. A woman, probably in her early twenties and has blonde hair with blue eyes, introduces herself, "Hi, Rue. You may not remember me, but I am your aunt." My eyes widen. My aunt? I don't even have an aunt. Mom doesn't have any siblings, does she? "Uhmm, I don't really have one." I say. She sighs, "I wish she would've told you." she says. I give her a confused face, "Your mother. But it would've hurt her."_

_I raise an eyebrow, "Can you tell me?" She gives me a smile and nods. She tells me about how she and my mother were close. How their father died and how their mother mentally died along with him. Mom had to take care of her family at a young age. She began hunting with Dave's dad, Gale, who's father also died. She tells me how mom volunteered for her in the games and dad was also with her. The nightlock incident. The 3rd Quarter Quell. The rebellion. She tells me everything._

_I start to tear up on the story of how she died. She hugs me, "Don't worry, Rue. I'll still be here, in your dreams." I pull away from the hug, "I wish you were here, aunt, uhmmm." _

_I realize I don't even know my aunts' name. Well, this is embarrassing. She chuckles and finally says, "Aunt Primrose. But just call me Aunt Prim, alright?" I nod and give her a hug. "I will be there for you in the games." she whispers. I look up at her, "How will you do that?" She smiles, "You'll see, Rue." She looks up at the sky, "It's getting dark. It's time for me to go now. I can only communicate with you in your dreams and my time has passed." I hold her tightly, "No, don't go, please." She sighs and looks down, "I'm sorry, but I promise I'll be here tomorrow night." I give her one final hug and she walks into the forest. She slowly disappears into the night and the sky turns dark. I'm alone once again._

* * *

I wake up without an alarm or anyone waking me up. I smile. I met my aunt. In my dreams! How is that possible? I look at the clock. It's around 5:30 a.m. I hear a knock on the door, "Come in." I say. Mom comes in the room, "We're going to practice for your interview, okay?" I nod. "How come you're up so early?" she asks. I sigh, "I had a dream. Something woke me up." She nods and kisses my forehead, "You're going to be fine." I lay back on my bed and mom goes back outside. I'm supposed to be sleepy and going back to sleep but I don't feel like it at all.

I walk out of my room and start eating my breakfast. Dave arrives along with mom, dad, Effie and Haymitch. The adults start talking about how excited they are for the interviews, "I think that District 12 can outshine themselves once more!" Effie exclaims. Haymitch nods, agreeing with her, "I wonder what angle will your precious little daughter be." he says to mom and dad. Mom rolls her eyes, "I want her to be herself, but likeable." I look up from my plate, "How can I be likeable?" "We'll talk about this later, alright?" she says. I nod my head and I continue eating. We are dragged into different rooms after eating breakfast. Apparently, we have 8 hours of learning stuff; 4 hours a lesson. When dad tells us this, I groan and suggest that I go with mom and dad first. They agree and I follow them into a room.

"So, Rue.." dad begins, "We want to know what angle are you good at." I shrug and mom slaps him on his arm, "Peeta!" Dad rubs his arm, "What?" "We talked about this. She can be herself, I mean, most people love her already!" Their arguing lasts for around 30 minutes and I am just sitting there just waiting for them to stop. When I finally get tired of it, I shout, "Can we just not talk about this? I'll just be myself! Gosh." We become silent for a couple of minutes before dad speaks up, "Okay, lets continue."

For the next few hours, we have been talking about what to do and what _not _to do. After that's done, I am put to another room with Effie to do some 'proper' stuff. My feet aches from the high heels, which are about 6 inches high, and I am not used to sitting up straight. I may not be good at high heels but I managed to sit straight after a couple of hours. After 8 hours of practicing for my interview, I lay on my bed to rest. But as soon as my body slams on it, the door slams open and my prep team comes inside. I groan as I sit up straight, "Really?" The nod and start doing my makeup without me even saying anything. I sigh as they get to work.

Lorelle talks about how excited she is for the interviews and thinks District 12 will outshine them all once more. Quella agrees with her but Halbert is quite skeptical about it, "I think the dress is gorgeous but I don't know about the sparks." His statement makes me curious about my dress. What will it look like? What 'sparks' is he talking about? Will it be good enough to get sponsors? I ignore my thoughts as I know I'll get my answers later on.

Torrence comes inside and smiles, "Well done with the makeup, guys!" my prep team smiles, "Make sure her hair is curled at the bottom only. Around shoulder length." Torrence says. My prep team nods and Torrence leaves the room. They part one side of my head and start curling my hair. I have to admit, I like this hairstyle. It's quite natural. I am put into another room and Torrence is there, waiting for me, "You ready to see it?" I nod quickly, excited to see what it looks like. He removes it from the closet and I gasp. It's a long, spaghetti strap dress that touches the floor. From top to bottom, the colors are white, yellow, orange, red and black. The colors fade into each other. Torrence smiles, "You like it?"

"I LOVE IT!" I scream, also smiling like an idiot. He laughs, "That's not the best part." My eyes open wide. "When you twirl, fire and sparks come out." Torrence says. I squeal loudly and hug Torrence. He laughs, "Thank you for making the best dress EVER!" I shout.

* * *

The tributes are waiting for their turn to interview. As I walk into the room, Shine and Deanne scoff and look at the stage. I laugh at their reactions. Most of the tributes jaws drop down. Camille walks up to me with a bright smile, "I love your dress, Rue!" I smile, "I love yours as well!" Camille is wearing a blue and sea green dress that fades into each other. She is wearing a shell necklace and 4 inch yellow high heels. She is also wearing a shell bracelt and dangling pearl earrings. She has her hair up into a bun and make up inspired by the sea. I am wearing the dress Torrence designed, my hair curled with a white headband. I am wearing a necklace with a Katniss flower and a bagguette on it, as a reminder of my parents. My bracelet has a Rue flower on it as a reminder of myself and I'm wearing 1 inch white heels.

"Mine can't compare to yours. And I love your necklace!" Camille says. I smile as she mentions the necklace. Caesar Flickerman pops up the screen and all the tributes line up. I look behind me to see Dave all dressed up, "Wow, look at you all dressed up." I say. He chuckles, "Look who's talking." I raise an eyebrow, "No, seriously. Why are you talking to me now? I thought you're mad at me." he says. I shrug, "Maybe I am. You won't join them, will you?" He sighs and looks down. I shake my head, disappointed and look away. Caesar Flickerman introduces Shine and she walks on stage, twirling like a ballerina with her flowy red dress. Her wavy blonde hair has been straightened and she's wearing a red headband with a bow. Everytime Caesar asks her a question, her answers always end with a giggle. I roll my eyes as she tries to be cute. Her angle is definitely NOT cute.

Rain is next and his angle is definitely bloody brutal. Ugh. I hate it when careers think that they're the boss of everything. That's just stupid. I don't pay attention to his interview because he just seems cocky. Deanne's angle is probably the same as Rains' and Masons' is just acting like he's cool. Camilles' interview comes after District 3s'. I can tell her angle is just being likeable. District 5,6,7. Then comes in Andrea. She is wearing a bright green, strapless dress that reaches her knees. Her hair is up into a bun and her right arm has a lot of bracelets. Her angle is more a shy kind of person. Caesar helps her out because she seems very bashful.

4 districts later, it's my turn. I hear Caesar shouting, "From District 12! The girl with the sparks, and..." he pauses, "The daughter of the victors, Rue Mellark!" I take a deep breath and walk onto the stage with my brightest smile. I take a seat next to Caesar and he greets me excitedly, "Welcome, Rue! How do you find the Capitol?" "It's wonderful! The people are so nice!" I say with sarcasm. Luckily, people didn't notice. Most of the audience smiles with their oddly colored lips. Caesar smiles as well, "That's great! Now..." he says turning serious, "Tell us... how did your stylist design this beyond magnificent dress!" he exclaims. I laugh, "Torrence is _amazing_. This is my favorite design from him!" I look at Torrence in the audience and he smiles. I smile back at him and look back at Caesar, "You wanna see what it does as well?" The crowd screams. I stand up and I twirl. And twirl and twirl and twirl. Fire froms on my dress and the sparks come out flying. The crowd screams louder than before and Caesar stops me before I can get any dizzier.

After settling down for a few seconds, he becomes serious, "So, you're friends with the male tribute, Dave Hawthorne." I nod, "He's my best friend." "And you volunteered for his sister, Felicia, is that right?" Caesar asks, making sure. I nod, "Yes. Felicia and I were never close friends but I just had this sense that I had to help her." The audience is pitying me right now. They keeps saying 'aww' which is kind of annoying in fact. Caesar pats me on the back, "Do you think you can win this?" he asks. I am caught off guard by this question, "I don't really know. I'm in the between. I think I have a good chance but I'm still pretty young, you know?" I say. He shakes his head, "But you got a 12 in training! The youngest tribute gets the highest score but doubts herself in winning this?" Caesar exclaims in surprise.

I shrug, "A 12 is pretty great but-" "Which reminds me, tell us what you did in the private sessions." Caesar says interupting me. The crowd goes even wilder. Some even scream 'Tell us!'. I am relieved that we don't have to talk about if I win the games or not but I'm terrified of the subject he dropped. I don't want to tell them! Especially my archery skills. Mom would freak! "Well, I don't really want to tell you my secrets." I say, trying to be a bit more suspicious. The audience groans and screams even louder. I shake my head while moving my index finger from left to right. Caesar laughs at this action, "I like you, Rue! Very natural." I smile genuinely this time. I look over at Torrence and he's smiling as well. I hear the bell ring indicating that my time is up. Caesar and I stand up, "We'll say goodbye to our youngest tribute, for now." he says. I cringe. _For now?_ "Ladies and gentlemen, the girl with the sparks!" he exclaims while raising my arm. I smile at the colorful crowd and go back to the penthouse. "Great job, honey!" I hear mom exclaim. She runs up and hugs me. Dad smiles, "Glad to see you used my shower statement." I roll my eyes, "Oh, please, dad. It wasn't even _that _funny." He scoffs. Mom and I laugh. We hear Caesar introduce Dave to the crowd. He comes on stage with a smile on his face which makes me raise my eyebrow. That's obviously fake. He never smiles that often. Only in the woods. I can't even bea to watch his interview because it was so unlike Dave. It's like the opposite of him. I walk into my room and change into a lavender shirt and some blue shorts. I brush my hair and the waves look a little more natural.

I walk back out and see Dave talking to mom and dad. He's still wearing his grey tuxedo and his hair pushed back. "Dinner is ready!" Effie exclaims at the dining table. I walk over and smile at her, "Your interview was amazing! I loved your outfit!" Effie exclaims. "You should thank Torrence for making that aamzing dress." I say. Dave gets changed and we have the dinner together. The adults, including our stylists, are talking about how amazing this years' interviews were. All I am thinking is the games tomorrow. After eating our last dinner before the games, Effie tears up because she's going to miss both of us. She walks away with Haymitch and I walk back to my room. I lay on my bed and start drifting to sleep but occassionally wake up every now and then.

* * *

**Quite a long chapter. :) Hope you liked it. Sorry I haven't been posting for so long. I was quite busy and sick as well. -_- **


	9. Chapter 8

**Thank you guys so much for the reviews! :) They brighten up my day and motivate me to keep writing. :D**

**IT'S TIME FOR THE GAMESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS.**

**AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH. XDDDD I'M EXCITED FOR WRITING THIS CHAPTER. WOOHOOO. But I'm sad that Dave and Rue have to go in it and get tortured. -_- ARGHHHHHH. Watching the Olympics as well. GO HONG KONGGGGGGGGGGG. :D And there's this annoying bug on my screen. Cursor time. :D**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Hunger Games. :(((**

* * *

_Rue_

_Where am I? What is this place? I am lifted up and I see a snowy desert. I look down and see that I'm on a platform. I start to panic and look around me. Nobody. Nobody's here. Except for one. _

"_HELP!" that person screams. _

_I run to that person as the countdown has finished. I gasp when I see who it is. "FINN!" I scream. He has fallen to the ground. There is a huge gash on his arm. I reach him and cover my eyes as I see how big it is, "I'm going to get something from the Cornucopia. Wait here." I say to him. I run back to the Cornucopia and see that 2 people are inside it. I rush over to them and gasp. _

"_Mom, dad!" They are shivering since the Capitol has put them into a t-shirt and shorts. I hear a voice over the speaker, "There's no way out. You're stuck here with your family. That'll teach your parents not to mess with us!" Claudius Templesmith says. My jacket is swiped away by a gust of wind and I am shivering like crazy. I look over at mom and dad then at Finn. Who should I go to first? My knees fall to the floor and I scream loudly. Why are they doing this? Can't they just get over it or something? I fall into the deep, thick snow and freeze to death._

* * *

_Dave_

I hear a scream from the other room. I bolt straight up. It might be Rue. I should probably go over there and calm her down. But then again, she _still_ hates me. Should I go and help her? Or should I not? I decide not to and go back to sleep. As I start drifting off, I hear her scream again and decide that I go to her room. Well, it's too late for it now. Someone beat me to it.

"Shh, Rue. It's okay." the woman says. I can tell that Rue is shaking. When she speaks, she stutters like crazy. I can't blame her. She's like that when she's scared. I'm not talking about that slight shake that isn't so strong but the opposite of that. She shakes like crazy! _Okay, off topic, Dave. Stop that!_ I thought. "Th-th-the g-games. They w-want to k-k-kill u-us." Rue says to the woman. My eyes widen at this. Why would they kill them? And who's _them_? "They won't, Rue." the woman says.

A few minutes later, the woman starts singing a lullaby. I'm familiar with that lullaby. Mom used to sing that to me when I was little. She just left us like we were nothing years before. I decide to go back to my room after the woman sings the lullaby. Just when I open my door, I hear the woman talk to me, "Good luck, Dave." I turn around and see Rue's mom standing in front of her door, closing it. I nod at her, "Thank you, Mrs. Mellark." "I told you not to call me that, Dave!" she exclaims. I laugh and eventually she laughs as well, "Goodnight, Aunt Katniss." I say. She smiles and walks away. I walk into my room, jump into my bed and drifted to sleep.

* * *

_Rue_

I wake up from a dreamless sleep and walk to my closet. I take out the outfit Torrence told me to wear yesterday and put it on. I don't bother to take a shower. I tie my hair into a high ponytail and walk outside to grab a quick breakfast. Dave is outside as well but having a bigger breakfast than mine. He's wearing a similar outfit to mine except his shirt is green and mine's blue. I decide to go to the roof since there is some spare time. I start to think about the arena. Would it be snowy as my dream would be? Will it be a desert? Forest? Jungle? I groan at the suggestions I'm making. None of these would help me, wouldn't they?

Whatever the arena is, I hope there are bow and arrows in the Cornucopia. I can't live without it, well, except maybe knives. I'm good at knives as well, aren't I? I take a deep breath and let it out. Today's the day I go to the arena built for people to die. I look down at the weird and odd people down the street. They're walking their poodles (which is probably a popular choice of dog) and talking loudly on their phones. I can hear people screaming and shouting from the square. They're excited to watch tributes die. Oh, how much I loathe them. I sigh and walk back to the penthouse. Torrence and Dave are in the elevator. How long have I been on the roof? I shrug off the thought and walk in with them. I'm shaking. Why am I shaking? Ugh! Too many questions today!

"Rue, you're shaking." Dave says. Great, he notices. I ignore him and the elevator starts moving. Is it going up or down? Great, I'm not focusing because I'm shaking too much. The elevator doors open and I see a hovercraft a few meters away. Dave and I face Torrence, "Well, I'll see you." he says. I run over and hug him, "I'll miss you, Torrence." I say. He strokes my back and pulls away, "I'll miss you both. You were my best tributes so far." he says. He shakes Daves' hand and we both go inside the hovercraft. Some tributes are here and my seat is right next to Camille, which makes me relieved. Since I have the edge seat, I am considered lucky (in my case). Dave sits at the other end of the seats next to Andrea, the girl from 8.

The rest of the tributes come in and I find that the boy from 2, Mason, is sitting opposite me. He's glaring at me and I look away. He thinks he's so tough, but just because he's from a career district, doesn't mean he's so strong. We finally take off and I just glance at Camille every now and then. She's completely spaced out right now. I sigh. She's probably as scared as I am. The ride is painfully quiet and awkward. We're supposed to be fighting to the death but we're here in this hovercraft, waiting for this thing to land.

After painful long minutes in this hovercraft, we finally land. We are then placed into different rooms. I see mom holding a jacket as the peacekeeper shoves me in the room. I start to tear up and run up to her. I hug her as tightly as I can. After I release the hug, she puts me into the jacket she's holding, "This is a hi-tech jacket. When you feel cold, it warms up. Then vice versa." she says. I nod and she reaches into the collar of the jacket. I notice her mockingjay pin on it. My eyes widen, "Your pin?" She nods, "There were bad memories of that, but I just want you to know that we'll be there for you." I look at it closely. It's still very shiny since the last time I saw it. It was in a box when I was helping mom clean up her room. I hug her again when I hear the voice saying _20 seconds_. "I love you, mom." I say. She releases me and kisses my forehead, "I love you too, little bird." she says. I release a tear that I have been holding back and wipe it away. I walk into the cylinder that will shoot me up into the arena.

This is it. I'm going into the games.

I take a look at mom one last time. I close my eyes and take a deep breath. _10 seconds_, the robotic voice says. I open my eyes again and see mom is tearing up as well. _I'll be strong for you, mom _I thought to myself. The cylinder closes and she gives me a final wave. Suddenly, I am into darkness. A few seconds later, the bright light hits me. I am blinded for a second but regain back my sight. I look at the environment around me. A snowy desert, a beautiful forest with flowers and trees, a sandy beach, and a forest where leaves are falling. I suddenly realize what kind arena this is. _Seasons_. The Cornucopia has backpacks lying around and weapons inside of the golden horn.

I look around and try to find any weapons around the golden horn. I scan my eyes through and _there it is_. A beautiful weapon that is calling my name. It's next to a backpack which is convenient for me. I try and find some knives lying around but no luck since most of the knives are inside the horn. I look at the clock and see that there are 30 seconds left. I try and find Dave but he's no where to be found. He may be behind the horn. _20 seconds left_. I decide to grab the bow and arrows first then the backpack. Yup, that will work. I close my eyes, take a deep breath, then open them again.

_10 more seconds_.

Tributes position themselves to run and grab their weapons or to run away as far from here as possible.

_5_

_4_

_3_

_2_

_1_

Tributes sprint and run to the Cornucopia. The careers already got their weapons and start looking for their targets. They get the weakest tributes and start torturing them. I run over to my beloved weapon and grab the bag next to it. As I start running to the forest, someone pins me down, "Those are mine!" she screams. She turns me over and starts grabbing my weapon. I pull much more force as I pull it towards me. "You may have strong hands, but you're body is weak. No little thirteen year old can win these games." she says as she's pulling the weapon. Suddenly, she is pushed onto the ground sideways. I look at her direction and see that Camille is pinning her down, "You won't get away with this!" the blonde girl that's pinned down screams.

"Shine, you may be a career but you're weak as a baby!" Camille shouts. Shine starts pulling her hair, "Run, Rue! To the forest!" Camille says as she's punching Shine on the nose. I stand up and start sprinting to the forest or, shall I call it, the Spring section. I look at the beautiful flowers and berries on the bushes. I ignore them and start running as far as I can. I can see a tribute on my left just a few metres away from me. I run faster and faster and can tell that the other tribute is far away from me. I shouldn't have run too fast. I am sweating and panting right now. I try to climb up a tall tree. Unfortunately, I am slowed down because I am _really _tired. Luckily, I reached as high as I can possibly reach.

I decide to take a look into my backpack. Some crackers, rope and a flask. I open the flask and find that there is no water inside. Great, this is just great. I groan and decide to pick some berries. Before I go down and pick them, I scan my surroundings, whether there are any tributes or traps. There are no signs of them and I climb back down. I start picking some blueberries and climb back up to my tree. I start to lift them up to my mouth but then I realize something. I take a closer look at the berries and drop them to the ground, with a disgusted expression on my face. _I can't believe I almost ate that_, I thought. I remember this plant in the edible plants station. And I also recall something years ago. Mom and I were in the meadow and I was staring at the same kind of berries inside the woods.

"Those are nightlock. They're completely dangerous. They will kill you before it reaches your stomach." she said. My eyes widened and I stepped away from the fence. Mom laughed and soon later, I laughed as well. I smile at the memory and decide to just sit here in this tree.

* * *

_Finnick_

Phew! She almost ate that thing. Glad she noticed it before it went inside her mouth. Of course, she's Rue and I know she's smarter than that. For the past few minutes she has been sitting on that tree. She gets startled when she hears a cannon. I count how many tributes have lost and I see she's doing the same. 12 tributes. So, 12 are gone and 12 are left. Wow.

My thoughts are interupted by a knock on the door. I walk over and open it, "Hey, Finn." a girl says on the door. My jaw drops, "H-hey, Lynette." The blonde girl smiles at me, "May I come in?" she asks. I nod and open the door wider. She walks in gracefully, "Your place is amazing. I wish my place would look like this." I raise an eyebrow, "You're the mayors' daughter." She turns around and looks at me with her clear blue eyes. I feel like I could get lost into them.

Okay, I have the hugest crush on her. I am actually quite surprised that she's here. She never talks to me because she probably thinks that being the son of 2 victors, I would act snobby and mean. I sigh at the thought. "Anything wrong?" she asks. I shake my head, "No, nothings' wrong." I hear screaming at the TV. Lynette and I look at it and see that Rue is telling a girl not to eat them. Too late. She didn't hear her and she collapses on the ground. Lynette turns over to me, "Your sister is really brave." I nod, "She's braver than I could ever be." "Don't say that." she says. I slightly smile and walk her to the couch and watch the games. I wonder why she's here. Maybe I'll ask later. Right now, we're watching the careers in the Cornucopia discussing a plan.

"We need to find her and then chop her to bits." the guy from District 1 says. I think his name is Rain. His district partner, Shine (which is a ridiculous name), scoffs, "I would've done it in the bloodbath if it weren't for YOUR district partner." she says pointing at the guy from 4. He throws his hands in the air, "Not my fault they like each other." Shine glares at him and turns over to Rain. The camera switches over to Dave, who's walking in the forest where Rue is in. But I don't think he can find her in one day. Probably the next day but not right now. She ran pretty far and she's a fast runner. She's the fastest runner in our school track and field team. What an advantage.

Lynette faces me, "I have to go. It was nice hanging out with you for a while. You're not as snobby and mean as I thought you were." she says. I lead her to the door and she waves me goodbye. I close it and think to myself, _She actually came here and talked to me!_

* * *

_Rue_

Nightfall comes and I'm still in this tree. I guess I will start hunting tomorrow. I start to hear voices from afar. I stay still and hopefully they won't see me. I hear fast pacing footsteps and I say that that person is running. A girl comes out of the bushes and runs for her life. I look at the girl closely. Brown hair, green eyes. My eyes widen. It's Camille! I look at the people chasing her. It's the Careers. Great. I wait for them to pass by my tree. I decide to help my friend instead of doing nothing. I climb down with my bow loaded and start running in their direction.

I see them run into a cave into the winter section and I start running faster. As I enter the cave, the careers have cornered Camille. She is shaking with fear but has determination to fight. The careers laugh when they see it, "You think you're strong to fight us?" Mason says. Shine smirks, "You escaped me once, but you won't do it again." I stand at the side of the cave and start aiming at my target. I let the arrow fly and it hits the back of Camille's district partner. I stand straight and decide to move more to the side. I can hear the careers go out of the cave and try to search for who did it, "She's here! She took my bow and arrows! I know it!" Shine exclaims. Deanne gets annoyed, "Shut up, Shine! She can hear us!" The start bolting for the spring section and I go back inside the cave.

"I took care of them Camille, don't worry." I say. She smiles and hugs me, "Thank you. I owe you one." she says and winks. And then she bolts to the spring section and disappears. I sigh and look for a sturdy tree. When I finally find one, I wrapped the rope around the tree. I realize how tired and thirsty I am. I can get rest now but I need to find water tomorrow. It's a must.

* * *

**First day of the games is done! WOW. I'm tired of typing. :) But at least it didn't take me a week to get it done this time. :D HOPE YOU LIKED THIS CHAPTER. Please review. ^^ I'm not forcing you really, it's your choice. ^^**


	10. Chapter 9

**HEY THERE. :) Sorry I haven't been posting. I kinda had a writers' block. :( And yeah... I will be posting from different characters POVs. I think it will be better to see what happenes in a situation in another persons' eyes. Just like Finns' in the last chapter. :D ON TO THE CHAPTER. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Hunger Games. Oh well...**

* * *

_Rue_

I wake up to the sound of rustling leaves. I become suspicious of what's happening. I look down and see that nobody's there. I start eating the crackers from the bag. I try not to eat too much because I may run out soon. I stuff it bag inside my bag and I remove the rope that's had me tied to this tree. I stuff the rope inside and climb down to find some water. I have wasted a lot of energy yesterday from its events. If I were a battery, I'd have 40% left of energy right now.

I climb down the tree and I start walking further and further away. After 30 minutes of painful walking, I give up and sit down on the grass. "I give up." I say, barely in a whisper.

* * *

_Katniss_

NO! Rue, you can't give up now! I'm in the mentor room with Peeta, Annie, Johanna, Beetee and some other mentors. "She can't, Peeta! She can't give up!" I say, crying into his chest. He rubs my back, "Katniss..." he says, trying to calm me down. "Hmm, what's this?" Johanna asks. I turn around and look at the screen. There are 2 screens actually. One screen is to see your tribute on how he/she is doing and the other screen shows the arena as a map. Tributes are bleeping red dots when they move and white when they stay still. When they die, the dot fades away. Another thing is that you can't see their district number.

One dot is coming in Rues' direction. It's getting closer and closer to her. If only we knew what district this tribute is. As the dot comes closer and closer, I look away and go into Peetas' arms. "Katniss, look." he says to me. I shake my head, "I don't want to. That person may kill her." "No, Katniss, just look!" Johanna exclaims. I turn around and see that someone is carrying her. I take a closer look at the person. It's Dave! "I'm still worried. What if he doesn't make it in time?" I ask Peeta. He shakes his head, "Katniss, you doubt your own daughters' best friend." I sigh, "Lets' just hope he does make it in time." Johanna mumbles something, as a reply to me, but I don't hear it since she said it quite low.

* * *

_Finnick_

Great. This is just great! My sister is on Daves' shoulders about to die. "She can't die now!" Felicia exclaims. Yes, I'm at the Hawthornes' house as I am every year. I decided to come here because I was lonely at home. Anyways, as Dave is running to find some water, Felicia is biting her fingernails and her eyes focused on the screen. The cameras won't look away now. This is a very intense moment indeed. Dave is running as fast as he can. I can tell he's really tired but he keeps going, "I'm not letting you die here, Rue. You don't deserve it." he says, hoping she hears him.

Felicia lets a tear fall. "Are you crying?" I ask, stupidly. "No, there's just something in my eye- YES, I AM CRYING YOU EGGHEAD." she screams. I rub my ear because she screamed a _little _too loud. She crosses arms and wipes her tears away, "I'm sorry." I pat her shoulder, "It's okay. I know you're worried. I am too, you know." She raises an eyebrow, "Why can't men cry as much as we, women, do?" I roll my eyes, "We're more mature than you girls, of course."

She hits me repeatedly with a pillow. It didn't hurt at first but as she kept on hitting, I screamed, "STOP! PLEASE! I BEG YOU!" She stops and sits back down. She smirks, "Being immature is more fun." I roll my eyes and look at the screen. At the moment, Dave has reached a lake. It's quite big. He scoops up some of the water into his flask and puts some solution into it. It probably makes it drinkable. "At least this isn't the one that cures in half an hour." he says. After shaking the flask, he opens Rues' mouth and purs the water in it. After giving her the right amount, he stops and waits. He hears a cannon shot indicating that she's- "NO!" he screams. And he reads my thoughts exactly. Felicia collapses on the ground, crying.

I suddenly feel water in my eyes. My sister is gone. She's gone. Gone. _Gone_. That word echoes through my brain. Gone.. I let more tears fall and put my head into my hands. I suddenly hear a choke. A choke? Who could be choking at this minute? I look at Felicia but she's still down there crying. I look at the screen and see Rue choking on her water. My eyes widen. She's alive!

"Felicia, she okay!" I exclaim. The brunette shakes her head, "No, she's not! You heard the cannon!" I sigh, "Look at the screen!" She looks up and screams happily. "She's alive!" she repeats. And repeats. And repeats! I cover my ears to block it but still no use. Guess I'm stuck here for a few hours.

* * *

_Rue_

I am coughing on some type of liquid. Wait, LIQUID?! I would find out what's happening but I keep on coughing. My vision gets better as I stop coughing (or should I say choking!). I see a person standing in front of me and I realize I'm still in the games. I jump and grab my weapon. He puts his hands in the air, "Calm down, it's me, Dave!" I lower the bow and tilt my head to the side, "You sure you're not a mutt?" He shakes his head and I put my weapons away.

We stayed quiet for a while. I want to ask him questions but it feels too awkward to talk now. "Why are we like this now?" he asks, breaking the silence. I sigh, "The games. It changes people." We stay quiet once more. "Thank you." I finally say. He looks up startled, "You're welcome?" I chuckle at his confusion, "For saving my life. You didn't have to, you know." He shakes his head, "You deserve to live. I don't" "Don't say that!" I exclaim. He shakes his head, "Let's go hunting now." I just sigh and nod my head. He helps me stand up and I load my bow. I watch for some animals that will pass us and when I do, I let the arrow fly and hit them in the eye.

"By the way, does your mom know yet?" Dave asks after I hit a rabbit. I nod, "She does now." We keep on walking for a few minutes and decide that the rabbit was enough for now, "Do you know what the other seasons have or do?" I ask him. "Winter is FREEZING cold after you stay in it after an hour. Summer has UV rays which can kill you in an instant. Autumn has really, really, _really _strong winds which can blow you off the ground. And Spring has poisonous plants and animals. Well, the poisonous animals are mostly insects." he says. My eyes widen, "You do know I have arachnophobia, right?" He chuckles, "I know." We look at the rabbit that I caught, "So, how long are we going to be allies?"

"Until the final 8 tributes, I suppose." he replies. I nod and we cook our rabbit. No tributes come after us anyway. "Lunch of the day." I say, hoping to light up the mood. Dave laughs and we continue eating our rabbit. After we finished eating, we talk about what happened in the past few hours, "So, did you kill anyone?" I asked him. He shakes his head, "Nope, you?" I nod my head, "The guy from 4. But it wasn't in the bloodbath. I almost got killed in it though. Luckily, Camille was there to save me." He raises an eyebrow, "Camille?" "Yeah, the district 4 girl." I reply.

"I don't think you should trust her." he says. My eyes widen and my teeth are clenched, "What did you say?" He shakes his head, "I've seen her. She brutally kills people. If you get stuck with her into the final 2, she won't give any mercy." I cross my arms, "We are friends and she knows that! She won't kill me." "Alright, Rue. But I warned you." he says. I sigh. Then an idea pops into my head, "Lets give the careers a little visit, shall we?"He looks up, "Rue, what are you planning?"

"We won't show them that we are weak! We'll show them that District 12 is as strong as they are!" I exclaim. He raises an eyebrow, "Why feeling all tough so fast, huh?" I playfully hit him in the arm and he chuckles, "I don't know. I just feel like it." He groans, "Can we not do it now? I feel tired from all that running I did to save you." I scoff jokingly, "Well, alright! But we're doing this no matter what you say." He rolls his eyes and I hits him again, "Alright, alright! We'll do it. But tomorrow. I feel like resting for this day." I roll my eyes and agree with him. We will still hunt butthis plan shall commence tomorrow.

* * *

_Finnick_

I sigh as the camera switches from Rue and Daves' conversation to the careers' camp area. They are quite close to Rue and Daves' area. I saw Shine smirking, "She has a plan to sabotage us? Then we'll get them first!"

The other careers smile at her idea and all I'm thinking is _Uh oh..._

* * *

**Sorry it's such a short chapter but I promise the next one will be much longer! :D**


	11. Chapter 10

**HAI DURRR. XD**

**Sorry I haven't been updating. I had to go to a Doctors' appointment yesterday and I went to my moms' friends' house. And the other past few days I have been busy. So, yeah... I'M SORRYYYYYYYY.**

**I also want to say that I just want to give thanks to all of my lovely readers (and reviewers :D) because they give me so much motivation to write this story. :) Usually I'm a lazy person and procrastinate so much. (I know, I'm sorry. D:)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Hunger Games. Sadlyyy...**

* * *

_Rue_

It becomes nightfall and all this time I always had the feeling that someone is watching us. But whenever I hear voices and turn to their way, it becomes silent. It must be some hallucinations or something the Gamemakers made to make us go crazy.

"Do you ever get the feeling that someone is watching us?" I ask Dave as he's setting up some snares. He shrugs and continues his snare. I sigh and tell him that I'll find dinner. I load my bow and look for some animals. I step on something that is quite hard. I look down and see that there is a knife on the ground. I raise an eyebrow to what this may be doing here. I look around for any tributes. I shrug since there are none and pick it up. Then, I realize, it could be a trap.

I scan the area once more and once again, no tributes. I sigh and continue looking for food. It seems like I can only find rabbits in this arena. I return back to our camp and we begin cooking the rabbit.

"Do you get nightmares? Or, you know, weird dreams?" Dave asks. I nod my head slowly. He sighs, "Mine's not really about the games though. It's my mom." My head slowly shifts to him, "Your mom?" he nods. I asked what happened to her and Dave becomes silent, "I completely understand if you don't want to tell me." I say to him noticing his unnerving position.

He shakes his head, "No, you're my best friend, you deserve to know." Dave faces me and starts his story.

* * *

_It was a sunny afternoon and Dave was just outside playing in the backyard with the grass and his toys. He heard his parents shouting inside the house and decided to take a look at what was happening. He goes closer to the window and sees that his mother, who is holding his younger sister, is shouting angrily at his father._

"_You just don't understand me!" Daves' mother shouts. His father shouts back, "And you don't understand me!" "I can't believe I would marry someone like you!" his mom shouts and puts Felicia on a chair. She goes upstairs and Dave goes inside._

"_Dad, what's going on?" asks the five year old. His dad shakes his head, "Nothing, Dave." and then he walks away. Dave was confused at what was happening. He looked at his sister, who was crying very loudly._

_That night, he saw his mother pass by his room with a large luggage. Since Dave was so young, he thought she was just moving some stuff away and the morning after, his mother was no where to be found, "Dad, where's mom?" Dave asks his dad. His dad shrugs, "I don't know, Dave. I don't know."_

* * *

Daves' eyes are filled with water and he quickly wipes them away. I look down, feeling bad for him. "Look, our rabbit's ready." Dave mumbles after an awkward silence.

* * *

_Katniss_

As Rue and dave are eating their rabbit in silence, I walk over to Johanna, "Johanna?" "I wish I didn't run away. I wish I didn't!" She shouts loudly. I rub her back as she cries silently on my shoulder. Annie stands in the doorway and puts on a sad smile. She walks over to Johanna and I, "Why don't you go to your 'husband' and talk to him?" Johanna shakes her head, "I need to take care of my tributes, Annie."

"But they died in the bloodbath." Annie says. Johanna sighs, "It's not fair to leave you guys here. You two are my friends." "It's okay, Jo. You can see him." I say to her. She looks at both of us and sighs, "I guess it's time for me to visit them."

* * *

_Rue_

"I'll take the first watch." I say to Dave. Helooks at me with a raised eyebrow, "No. I'll do it." I roll my eyes at his protection, "You need to rest." I tell him. "You as well." he fights back. I roll my eyes once more, "I think it's better for you since you ran a lot." We keep arguing on who gets the first watch and after 5 minutes of bickering, Dave finally agrees to take a rest.

As he falls asleep on the tree, I take a look around at the area once more. After a minute of silence, the trees start rustling and I stay alert. I look down the tree and scan the area once more. I become suspicious on who's there but I can't leave Dave here alone by himself. I decide to just ignore it and just look at the scenery. Suddenly, I hear the Capitols' Anthem and look up into the sky. No deaths today. The Capitol must be bored right now. But we'll give them a show tomorrow when we crash the career pack.

Since Dave has his own sleeping bag, I slip into mine and look at the moon. If that is just an artificial moon, then the Capitol is just plain stupid. My eyes start to close from the events of today. I try to keep them open but it won't stay put. So, in the end, I drifted off to sleep.

* * *

_I am in the meadow once more and I stand up, expecting to see Aunt Prim. And of course, I see her walking towards me and I run up to hug her. She laughs, "Missed me, Rue?" I nod quickly. We both sit on the grass and Aunt Prim pulls out a picnic basket. I grin widely as I help her set it up. As we were done, we both sat on the blanket and started eating. Both of us pick up a sandwich._

"_I wish you were here with us, Aunt Prim." I tell her. She smiles heartwarmingly, "I really do wish I were with you." She says. We continue eating our sandwiches and I break the silence saying something to her, "Mom misses you." She looks down sadly, "I miss her as well. Tell her that, okay?" I sigh and look down as well. Then, I realize, she said to tell that to her. I can't tell that unless I..._

"_Win. Yes, you have to win." Aunt Prim says, breaking my thoughts. I look up and she smiles at me, "I can read your thoughts." I raise an eyebrow and she laughs. I laugh along with her afterwards and continue eating. "But seriously Rue, everyone knows you're going to win." she says. Suddenly, it starts getting hotter, "Does it seem hot to you? And is it daytime already? I don't feel comfortable now." Aunt Prim shrugs, "You fell asleep at 5 am. I know it seems quite short but we were here for 2 hours. So, it's 7 am right now." she says._

_Aunt Prim and I start sweating, "Rue, you need to wake up." I raise an eyebrow, "What? Why? I'm fine with this heat." She shakes her head, "You're in danger, you need to wake up!" She starts shaking me vigorously, "Wake up, Rue! Wake up!" She screams. As she shakes me harder, everything blurs out._

* * *

Dave is screaming and screaming and I am startled because he keeps shaking me as vigorous as Aunt Prims', "We need to hurry! There's fire everywhere!" I look down and see the fire's spreading up to our tree.

My eyes widen and the thing I manage to get out of my mouth is, "RUN!"

* * *

**Yupppp. Another short chapter. :( I'm sorry if I haven't been updating and school is starting next month. WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY YY? :( I will write the next one PRONTO. xD**


	12. Chapter 11

**Here's the next chapter! :D I have nothing better to do anyway so here ya guys go! :D**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Hunger Games. If only...**

* * *

_Rue_

Fire is rushing up to our tree and Dave is just standing there waiting for my rope to be untied, "Look Dave, just climb onto another tree and just wait for me there!" I shout at him. He shakes his head, "No! I won't risk it!" My rope finally unties and I start to think of a plan. Dave sees my facial expression and sighs, "Just tie your rope onto your arrow and shoot it onto another tree!" he shouts.

I grab an arrow and quickly tie the rope near the tip of it. Hopefully this is tight enough for 2 people. I shoot it to the nearest tree and both Dave and I climb on it. Unfortunately, it isn't tight enough for the both of us, "You go ahead. I'll stay here and wait." he says. I shake my head, "I'll stay here. You go ahead." We keep arguin back and forth until Dave lifts me up and puts me on the rope. He lets go of the end of the rope and I go flying into the air.

I am hanging on the side and I start climbing as fast as I can to a steady branch. The fire is reaching up Daves' part of the tree and Dave keeps climbing higher and higher. Luckily, he's experiences this. As I got to a steady branch, I try and pull the arrow from the tree. It's in quite deep and I start to pull harder. Dave is reaching the top of the tree and I decide to quickly remove the rope and put it on another arrow. I quickly untie the rope and re-tie it onto another arrow. I load my bow and position the target. I shoot it near Dave as the fire comes closer in and he can't go anywhere up.

I quickly tie the other end of the rope and securely tie it to the branch. I give Dave a signal. He pulls the arrow out of the tree and he swings away. I grab the rope and start pulling him up when he swings onto the side of the tree. Unfortunately, he's too heavy, "I told you that you should've went first!" I shout at him as I start pulling him up. I can see him roll his eyes and decides to climb the rope instead. When he finally reaches the branch, I pulls the rope up and removes the rope from the arrow. He gives them to me and I stuff the rope inside my bag. I put back the arrows and we both try to hop onto another tree. Luckily, Dave successfully hops onto the tree. While I was hopping onto it, I landed on the surface but then slipped and almost fell. Luckily, Dave caught me.

When we reach the tree nearest to the winter section, we jump into it and the fire follows us. It's obvious who did this to us. The gamemakers did! The snow melts away the fire and both of slump onto a nearby tree, "That was an exciting and fun adventure!" I say sarcastically. Dave chuckles and we walk back to the spring section, hoping there will be no fire following us, "Funny, you're the girl with the sparks and there were sparks on the fire." Dave says. I glare at him, "Not a time to make jokes, Dave."

He chuckles, "Because we can't have fun in the games." I roll my eyes, "Well, that was a way to start a morning!" I say sarcastically. He laughs, "Yeah! Who wouldn't wake up to a nice heat of the fire, eh?" he continues the joke. I laugh hysterically and he joins in as well. We both calm down and climb a tree, sitting on a steady branch and taking a nap. Dave's watching this time and I snuggly go into my sleeping bag, drifting off.

* * *

_Finnick_

I sigh of relief as my sister and Dave are safe from the fire. I hear a knock on the door. I run to the door as fast as I can and open it. I see Lynette standing on the porch with a big smile, "Hey, Lynette." I say awkwardly. She chuckles, "Hey, Finn. May I go inside?" she asks. I nod slowly and she goes inside, "You're sister is pretty good. She can win this." she says as she looks at the screen. I raise an eyebrow, "Pretty good?" I ask slightly offended. She shrugs.

"I mean, yeah, she is pretty good. But I really don't think she can win, you know? I mean she's 13." she says. Fury rushes over my body. Yes, this may be the girl that I have been crushing on for YEARS, but she's saying that my sister _can't _win this? She got a freaking 12 for her training score! "You think you can do better?" I say, mad that she offended my sister. Her eyes widen, "Excuse me?" she says, slightly shocked. "Just because she's 13, doesn't mean she's weak! She's good at archery and knives! She knows the plants very well! She's smart! And what about you?" I exclaim. Her jaw dropped and is now staring at me, "Look, Finn, I didn't mean to offend you but-"

"NO ONE OFFENDS MY SISTER! NO ONE!" I shout at her and push her out the door. I close the curtains and walk back to the couch and see that Rue is sleeping while Dave is watching. When someone messes with my younger sister, they're going to get it.

* * *

_Felicia_

As I walk to the Mellarks' household, I see Lynette, the snobbish daughter of the mayor who thinks she's all that, walk into their house before I do. I become suspicious of what she's doing. She never goes into their house. I decide to walk closer to hear their conversation. I get startled as I hear Finnick shout. Is she shouting at her? He could be but he has liked her for years! Even if I wasn't that much of friends with him, it was _so _obvious he liked her.

Suddenly, the door opens and I see a hand push Lynette out the door. Her expression looks very startled and shocked. I snicker because of her expression and walk over, "Awwww. He rejected you?" I say, trying to hide in my laughter. She rolls her eyes, "Whatever, Hawthorne. You're just jealous of me because I'm rich. And you little Seam girls are just not catching up." she says with a harsh tone.

My fist clenches and I start glaring at her. She laughs and I charge at her. I pin her to the ground and she starts screaming, "YOU THINK YOU'RE SO GOOD WHEN YOU'RE NOT!" I start screaming in her ear, "YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT WE'VE BEEN THROUGH BECAUSE YOU'RE IGNORANT AND FULL OF YOURSELF!" I scream some more. She starts crying and I smirk, "Sucks for you. You may be pretty and rich, but no one will ever love you." "You're wrong!" she shouts back. She tries to push herself up but I'm much more stronger, "Someday, you will be in the games yourself. And then you will experience the pain these tributes go to. And I'm betting that you are one of those who will die." She screams some more and decide to let go.

"YOU WILL PAY, HAWTHORNE!" she screams and walks back to her house. I smile to myself and walk into the Mellarks' house. Finnick raises an eyebrow as I walk in, "What did you do?" he asks, suspiciously. I smile, "Nothing happened. Nothing at all." He squints his eyes suspiciously but he ignores the suspicions and turns back to the TV. I sit down next to him and watch the games.

* * *

_Rue_

I wake up to the sounds of mockingjays. I look around and see that Dave is not around. I start to panic and shout screaming his name, "Dave! Dave! DAVE!" Suddenly, someone puts their hair on my mouth and I start screaming. Unfortunately, it's muffled because this persons' hand is over my mouth. "Oh my gosh, Rue, could you be quiet? The careers could come." the person says. He lets go of me and I turn around, "You scared me, Dave! I thought someone killed you!" I say.

"Well, I'm here and I caught a rabbit." he says, calmly. He shows me the rabbit he caught, "Is it me, or do we always catch rabbits?" I ask him. He chuckles, "Probably. Come on, let's cook it for our lunch." We pack our stuff and go climb back down. Then I start to wonder how many tributes are left, "How many tributes are left?" "I think there are 11 left." he says. Then, we both hear cannon, "Make that 10 tributes." he says. I sigh. Does the Capitol want another rebellion? Are they stupid?

"We're going to continue the plan on the careers, right?" I ask Dave. He nods his head slowly, "If they were the ones who started the fire, they're going to pay." he says. I raise an eyebrow, "Isn't it the gamemakers fault?" "I said _if_." he says quickly. He picks up the rabbit, which is already cooked, and we eat it fast.

We're going to pay the careers a visit.

* * *

**DUN DUN DUN. The careers better watch out. DISTRICT 12 IS COMING FOR YA. XD OMG. THE DVD COMES OUT TODAYYYY. AHHHHHH. Okay, I'll stop now.**


	13. Chapter 12

**I WANNA GET THE DVD SO BADLYYYYY. WAHHHHHHHH. Why can't I be super duper rich? WHYYYYY? **

**To LoverOfDance, LUCKY YOU GOT THE DVD. WAHHHHHHHH. And I do wish I can send this to Suzanne Collins but I don't think it's good enough. **

**And also I would like to tell you about lozza xox's story 'The 53rd Hunger Games'. It's an interesting story about 2 tributes from District 11. I think you all should read it! :D**

**And yeahhh, sorry about not updating for the past few days. I was pretty busy getting ready for the upcoming school year. :(**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Hunger Games. EVEN THE DVD. :'(**

* * *

_Rue_

After we finish eating, we check our stuff and clean up a bit. We start heading for the Cornucopia, "So, what are we going to do exactly?" Dave asks. I stop in my tracks. I haven't thought of that. I always thought that we just attack them but both of us will be outnumbered and we both will be dead instantly, "I haven't thought of that yet. But I will!" I say. Dave raises an eyebrow, "If the plan you're going to think of will include attacking them, then think of something else." I nod quickly and we continue walking.

I look at my surroundings to get ideas. Berries? No. That'll never work. But careers are pretty stupid. Still, it might not work. I look at the animals. Animals won't do either! What about their food? Hmm, they might not leave their food alone. Or maybe they would. AGHHH.

* * *

_Finnick_

As I take a glance of the TV before I go to school, I hear a knock on the door. I quickly open and find Felicia outside, "Better hurry up or we'll be late." she says. I roll my eyes and shut down the TV. I grab my bag and go outside. I shut the door and we both quickly walk to school, "I don't get it. Why are you going to school with me?" I ask her. She shrugs, "Since your sister isn't here, I decide I should help you because she did volunteer for me."

I nod and we both continued walking. When we get there, everyone is focused on the TV screen. Rue and Dave are walking towards the Cornucopia, "What are they doing?!" Felicia shouts. Everyone then stares at her, "They're going to the Cornucopia, you idiot!" a girl shouts. Felicia rolls her eyes, "Whatever, Lynette. I bet they have a plan to infiltrate the careers. If you were in it, I bet you wouldn't even survive for a day!" she screams. Lynette bursts out from the crowd and attacks Felicia.

"What did you say?! Huh?! SAY IT AGAIN!" She screams. "You wouldn't survive for a day in the arena! YOU WON'T!" Felicia screams back. They continue fighting for a fewminutes until I have had enough. I pull back Felicia from Lynette and put her as far away as possible, "Can you stop getting into fights with her?" I ask her.

"If you were me, you would understand that she's a witch!" she shouts. I roll my eyes, "Can you please keep a distance from her while Rue is gone? She volunteered for you, remember?" I tell her. She sighs, "Fine. I won't waste her sacrifice."

* * *

_Rue_

"Just stay up that tree and stay there." I say to Dave. He groans, "Why can't I help you?" "Because, it's my plan and if I need any help I'll just call you." I reply to him. He groans again but agrees to it. I walk behind the bushes and look at what they are doing.

"I didn't hear a cannon! Where is the cannon?!" Rain shouts angrily. Shine tries to calm him down, "Relax, Rain. They could be dead by now and we didn't hear the cannon." "We should've been there to watch their pain!" Rain shouts again, "Those District 12 tributes are in our way!" I become confused. I thought the gamemakers brought the fire.

"Our fire didn't work on them!" Deanne screams. My fist closes and anger builds through my body. I look at my bow and arrows and sigh, "I just hope this plan works." I come out of the bushes and shout, "Hey! Looking for me?!" They look in my direction and they start glaring, "Get her!" Shine screams and chases after me. I start running into the forest again and quickly look back at them. Man, they are fast runners.

I reach the tree that I'm supposed to climb in and climb it as fast as I can. I try to be careful at the same time. The careers are now at the bottom of the tree and Deanne starts to grip onto the tree, "Who wants to catch me?" I say, teasingly. All of them glare at me. I smile at them and stare at the tracker jacker nest at the tree opposite me. I load my bow and target the string the holds the nest. Strong but easy to slice through.

I can hear the careers shouting, "MISS! MISS!" but they don't know who I am. They may think they are better than me but I'll show them who's boss. I let the arrow fly and it cuts through the string and it falls to the ground. Deanne and Shine start screaming and Rain and Mason start to bolt. Deanne follows but Shine has a ton of stings already, since she was the closest.

"RAIN!" she screams. Rain was coming back to get her but Deanne pulls him away, "It's no use! We have to leave her!" Deanne screams because another tracker jacker stings her. Rain is torn between saving his love or himself. He looks at Shine and Deanne back and forth. Deannes' hand is sticking out for him. The brunettes' eyes are pleading him to leave. Shine tries to extend her arms but Rain has already made his decision.

He reaches out to Deannes' hand and runs with her. I can see the sadness in Shines' eyes filled with, at the same time, anger. The tracker jackers have followed the other careers and leaving Shine there, not moving. Well, at least I think she's not moving. She coughs and coughs and decided to come down the tree, since she's defenseless. I reach her body and she looks at me with tears, "I know I'm not supposed to trust you," she says hoarsely, "But you got skill, kid." I slightly smile at the comment, "Thanks, I guess." I reply to her.

"Kill them. Both of them." she says as she slowly drifts to her death. She wants me to kill 'them'. And by them, I know she wants revenge on Rain and Deanne. Rain, who seems like her love interest from what I have seen, wouldn't even help her one bit. He chose to save his own life. I don't blame him but he would've at least tried.

And Deanne. Hmm. They weren't really friends. I'm betting that Deanne liked Rain as well. But he mostly focused on Shine. Now that she's gone, Deanne will probably go all over him. Dave comes coming out of the trees, "She looks so different." he says. Her once beautiful face turned into a face full of big chunks of skin. Her whole body has extended in size. We both sigh and walk away from her body.

We hear the cannon and the hovercraft should come sometime soon. We walk away the opposite direction of the careers and hunt for more animals to eat. 9 people left. I wonder who will win. Will Dave or I survive?

Guess we just have to wait and see...

* * *

**So I hope you like this chapter! Again, another short one. :( But I'll try and make it longer. :D**


	14. Chapter 13

**HI THEREEE. :D**

**I think I'm not going to focus on the games in this chapter. I don't really know yet. Haha. I just write things as I go. XD I'll probably add some teenie tiny bits of the games. :P **

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Hunger Games. But I have the book. :DDDD**

* * *

_Finnick_

As I watch Rue and Dave walk through the woods during lunch time, Felicia sits there complaining about Lynette, "I hate her so much! She's so annoying! Why do you like her?" I roll my eyes, "Well, I don't know." Her jaw drops and she glares at me, "What do you mean _you don't know_?!" she screams. Everyone in the cafeteria stares at her. She sighs and puts her head into her arms.

"Why is it so hard for people to like me?" she asks quietly. "Maybe it's because you're mean to people." I reply to her. She shoots her head up, "Are you saying that I'm mean?!" she shouts again. Everyone in the cafeteria stares at her again and she puts her head back into her arms, "I want mom back." she says. I pat her back, "She'll come around soon. Don't worry." I say, trying to cheer her up.

"She'll come around soon? She hasn't been here for 13 years! I don't think she's _ever _coming back!" she shouts angrily, with water in her eyes. She quickly wipes them away and storms out of the cafeteria. I sigh and somehow feel guilty for hurting her feelings so I go and follow her. Unfortunately, the hallway is empty. I walk along the long hallway until I hear someone crying. I follow the sound and open the janitors' closet. I'm surprised to find Felicia there.

"Go away." she says, barely in a whisper. I walk over to her and hug her. I don't usually hug people besides my sister but I don't really feel awkward with Felicia. For the past few years, we hated each other. But since Rue is in the games, I guess Felicia's the only one I can turn to. I have stayed at their place because mom and dad are always mentoring the tributes. If only Rue gets home, "This is a bit awkward for me." Felicia says, breaking my thoughts. I shrug and say, "It isn't for me." She stares at me weirdly, "You have hugged girls before?" I laugh, "Only Rue. But, yeah.."

Awkward silence...

"Thanks for being there when Dave's gone. I don't think he'll make it." she says, breaking the silence a few minutes later. I raise an eyebrow, "You don't believe in your own brother?" I ask her. "No! I do! But, he wants to protect Rue and make her win. If they were in the Final 2, he would've killed himself to make her win." she says. I sigh, "These games are so unfair." She nods, "I wish our life was peaceful. And I want mom back."

When Dave told the story of when their mother left them, Felicia went to her room and cried all day. I was staying at their house when that happened. It was best to leave her alone so I told her father that I had to do something at home. Most people don't know that about Felicia. Most people think that she's a mean and cruel person but deep down inside she's a broken piece. Not because of the games, no! But because she never had a mother to sing her to sleep, a mother to talk to and a mother who cares for her.

"Guess we better get to class soon." she says. I nod and hellp her stand up. I notice that her eyes are still red and puffy, "You wanna wash your face first?" I ask her. She nods and goes into the girls' bathroom. After around 5 minutes, she goes out and we both walk to our classes.

* * *

_Rue_

We have been walking for a few minutes until we finally find a sturdy tree to sleep in. I wonder what my family's doing right now. Mostly thinking about Finn. I wonder how he's coping with all of this. And Felicia. Wonder how she copes with her brother and her, well.. frenemy in the games. Do I consider her as a friend? Maybe, if I win the games and go home, we can actually be good friends instead of always arguing with each other.

What about mom and dad? Are they trying to get me sponsors? Are they triying to get Dave sponsors? Hopefully because we might need some things soon, "I feel tired." I say to him. He nods, "Me too." "If our sponsors would send us something to keep us awake." I say. Suddenly, a parachute lands on top of the branch above us.

I grab it and look at the contents. There's 2 cups of some hot chocolate. Only it doesn't smell like it, "Why would they send us this?" I ask Dave. He shrugs, "I don't know but we wouldn't like it to go to waste." he says. I shrug and take the smaller cup. Dave takes the bigger one, "Cheers." we says, unexcitedly. We both take a sip and I start chugging down the whole mug. I start jumping excitedly and almost fall out of the tree. Dave puts his cup into the parachute and starts jumping excitedly as well.

I look at my hand and find it shaking vigorously, "Wow, what is this stuff? It's making me very hyper!" I exclaim. Dave shrugs, "I don't know. But it's sure making us shake a lot!"

I wonder what this thing is called. It definitely isn't hot chocolate. What a gift the sponsors give us.

* * *

_Finnick_

As Rue and Dave shake vigorously after having their drink, the school bell rings and we are all dismissed. Usually during the games, we get dismissed early. I walk out of the classroom and try to find Felicia. Her last lesson is in History so I'm guessing she will be in room 203, "Hey, Finn." someone says. I turn around and see Felicia standing there, "Come on, let's go home." she says.

As we walk out of the school, we spot Lynette and her friends sitting on a bench, laughing. As soon as they spot us, they immediately start whispering. From the corner of my eye, I see Felicia roll her eyes, "They really need to learn not to keep it so obvious." she says. I shrug and we both start walking home.

"Thanks for being there for me. I guess I never really had any friends." she says unexpectedly. I don't know how to reply to _that_. I'm not as good as words as my dad, okay? Rue's so much better at that, "Look, I'm not good at this stuff so I'll just say... Thanks?" I say to her, nervously. She starts laughing, "Oh, Finn. You will never be as smooth as your dad and sister." she says. I glare at her and she hits me playfully. Soon enough, we reach her house. She opens the door and stops in her place.

"Felicia? What's wrong?" I ask, worried. She's still in her place, holding the door knob, back slightly bent. I push her out of the way and drag her inside when I finally see why she was shocked. In the living room, there is a woman with dark brown, short hair staring at us while looking at the screen.

"Hello." she says.

* * *

**Ooooooh! I wonder who it is! :DDDDD Can't wait for you to find out (But you might already know who it is anyway :P). I shall leave you with your peace. XD **


	15. Chapter 14

**OMG. **

**A new chapter is FINALLY here! I'm so sorry to all that have waited for a new chapter to come out but because of school and all its homework, I'm not able to write this chapter. :( Don't worry, I'm still writing it! :)**

**LALALALALA. XD This chapter is continued from the last one. :D I wanna ask you guys a question. But I'll just ask you at the end of this chapter. :)**

**Oh and BTW, there might be a little spoiler of the second book here. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own The Hunger Games. If I can only write a successful book, then I'll be happy. :D**

* * *

_Finnick_

"I would like to get out of here." Felicia suggests. The womans' eyes widened when she said that and stands up, "Felicia, I would like to talk about this." she says. Felicia turns her back away from her, "I don't want to talk to you." The woman sighs, "Felicia, I know you're mad but you must listen!" "Mom, I don't want to hear your explanation!" she shouts while turning back to her. Her eyes are filled with sadness and hurt.

So, that's her mom. No wonder she looks so similar to Felicia. Well, except Felicias' stormy grey eyes of course. That's what's different about them, "Felicia, your dad was talking about some girl during his sleep. You should understand cheating by now!" her mom explains. Felicias' eyes are getting teary, "But, you didn't let him explain!" she shouts. Her mom shouts back, "I didn't need explaining! I knew exactly what was going on!"

I hear the door knob making noise. Someone is coming home. And that's most likely going to be her dad. Boy, there's going to be a lot of trouble here. The door opens and there stands Felicias' dad in shock. Felicia and her mom stop bickering and stare at him. I start to slowly walk away, "Look who's here." Felicias' dad says. I reach the door when I hear the screaming and quickly go outside. I shut the door and quickly went to Victors' Village.

* * *

_Felicia_

I hear the door shut as my parents are arguing. Good idea, Finn. I wish I can run away like you, "I told you already! She's gone! She's not here!" Dad shouts. Mom screams back, "You still loved her!" "I told you already, she's gone and dead!" dad shouts.

Silence is the only thing I can hear. The sound of air passing us. The TV is on but I can hear nothing from it. I can't even hear the children playing outside, "D-dead?" mom stutters out. Dad nods his head slowly, "I wanted to save her. But it was too late. Then, I met you." he says. Mom is in total shock right now. I decide to leave them alone because they obviously need time for each other. I walk to the door and go to the Mellarks' household.

* * *

_Finnick_

Hopefully it's going well in the Hawthornes' house. I open the TV and see that Rue and Dave are still shaking like crazy. I raise an eyebrow. It's been half an hour and they still shake like crazy. Okay... I hear a knock on the door and open it to find Lynette standing there, "What do you want, Lynette?" "I'm sorry, Finn. I didn't mean to offend you or your sister." she says. I sigh, "First of all, don't call me Finn. Secondly, sorry doesn't pay the price."

I turn around and she grabs my arm, "Please forgive me, Finnick!" "He wants to be left alone, Lynette." a voice says. I turn around and see Felicia, crossing her arms. She lifts her right arm and tells her to go. Lynette glares and walks away. I chuckle at her obnoxiousness and let Felicia inside, "How's your parents working it out?" I ask her. She sighs, "Hopefully, they're doing good." she says. We both sit on the couch watching the careers in their camp, staring gladly at their weapons.

"They make me sick." Felicia says. I nod, "I agree."

* * *

_Rue_

"Why are we still shaking?!" I exclaim. I think Dave is shrugging but I'm not sure since he's shaking as much as I am, "I think they call this coffee. I saw it in the Capitol once." he says. So, it's coffee. I saw mom and dad drank it before. I thought it was hot chocolate but it smelled a little different, "I don't think we're going hunting any soon." I say to him. I see him nod, "I agree. It's best to stay clear of hunting today." "I'm going to get some berries." I say.

I slowly climb down the tree to avoid falling and look for some edible plants. I see some blueberries and put them inside my pouch. I also find a bush of strawberries next to the bush of blueberries. I pick them as well and climb back up the tree, "Wonder if something exciting is going to happen..." Dave says. I shrug and we eat the blueberries slowly.

"Wonder how's everything back in District 12." I say. Dave nods, "What about your parents?" "Hopefully giving us sponsors." I say. I think this coffee stuff is actually making me more sleepy than awake. I slowly drift off to sleep as the sun sets, even though it seems like only after 1 pm.

* * *

**Guess that's it for this chapter. :D I'm SOOO SORRY I have been keeping you waiting for so long. :( I'll try to make more chapters this weekend. :)**


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